In Darkness, Light
by BeachBum87
Summary: Sometimes, even in the darkest places, we find light...
1. Chp 1 (M rated material included)

Kensi lays snuggled against him beneath the sheets. Her breathing is even and rhythmic, and reminds Deeks of a kitten he met once during his academy days. He doesn't dare move for fear he might wake her, and end the blissful sight that so fully warms his heart. He finds it hard, now, to imagine ever waking up without _his girl_beside him.

It's moments like these that he cherishes over all others, because Kensi Blye at her most vulnerable is a sight few have seen. He knows that trust is not something she does easily, with anyone, and that she allows _him_to see the delicate flower beneath the harsh facade is a privilege of the highest honor in his book. He also knows how easily that trust can be lost, and at times this frightens him.

She stirs. She shifts against him, and her eyes blink open-slowly at first. Then she yawns.

"Morning sleepyhead." he says softly, a smile working its way across his face.

"Is it morning already?" she asks sheepishly, as she stretches beneath the sheets.

He chuckles lightly. "That it is, Fern."

"I wish it wasn't." she remarks, as she tilts her head upward. Her eyes find his, and then their lips meet. The kiss is a gentle one, though there is no shortage of passion in it either. When they finally part, she can't help but smile up at her shaggy-haired lover. "I take it this means you don't mind morning breath."

"Yours is entirely tolerable, princess." he says with a grin. "Most mornings anyway."

She rolls her eyes at her lover, and then playfully pinches his side underneath the sheets.

"Ouch." Deeks winces. "You are so evil, you know that." he says as he quickly rolls away from the giggling brunette.

Kensi sits up, carefully using the sheets to keep her naked body covered, and flashes a fiendishly wicked grin as she scoops herself up from the bed. "And you're a big baby." she retorts. Satisfied with herself, she gracefully crosses the bedroom and disappears into the attached master bathroom.

Deeks swings his legs over the side of the bed, and slides on the nearby pair of boxers before lifting himself up. "You really take the whole 'adding insult to injury' thing to a new level." Deeks remarks. He receives no answer though, but hears the sound of a shower starting up in the bathroom. A thought occurs to the shaggy-haired man then, and a devilish expression crosses his face. "You're in for a surprise, fern." he says to himself as he tiptoes towards the bathroom.

* * *

Silently, Deeks steps into the shower, and stands behind the beautiful brunette. He lays his hands against her shoulders, and begins to massage them gently. She doesn't jump or try to pull away, as he often expects her to. Instead, she leans into him enjoying the moment.

"Anyone ever tell you...how beautiful you are?" Deeks whispers softly into Kensi's ear. Warm water flows evenly over their naked bodies from the shower head above them. He then begins to trail a string of kisses down the back side of her neck, and then over her shoulder. Steam begins to build in the closed-in space, and surrounds them like a veil.

She closes her eyes and bites down gently on her lower lip. She is enjoying the sensations brought on by the feel of his lips and hands as they play across her bare skin in simultaneous succession. "Mm-hmm-mm." She moans audibly when she feels him lovingly, caressing her supple breasts.

"You like that, princess?" he whispers softly in her ear.

She nods slowly, as another low moan escapes her throat. "Mm-hmm, yeesss. Feeeels good."

He chuckles lightly, and then begins to nibble playfully at her right ear. "That's good." he tells her. "Means I'm doing something right."

"Sooooo right." Kensi moans without thinking. She feels his left hand snaking its way southward now, over her hip, and the anticipation of it reaching the warm, wet area between her thighs sends shivers through her spine. "So that's...what you're after." she manages throatily-her eyes still unopened.

"Mm hmm." Is the only response she gets from him. His hand finally reaches her hot sex, and he gently pushes two fingers inside the tender folds. She cries out in ecstasy at the sensations that ripple through her, and then feels her knees begin to buckle under her.

He knows full well that she prefers to have _him _inside her, and so he doesn't push any further. He slides his hand away from her sweet spot, and instead wraps his arms gently around her mid-section and steadies her while she comes down again. "Shh, its okay baby." he whispers soothingly into her ear. "I've got you."

After a moment of stillness passes between them, and Kensi finally gathers herself once again-she pulls away. She turns around to face her shaggy-haired lover. The sight of his chiseled musculature excites her, as it always does, and she stands silently letting her eyes take in every curve of every muscle.

Deeks cracks a wide grin as he watches her eyes moving down the length of his body in certain admiration. "You obviously like what you see." he jokes quietly. She blushes and he watches as her cheeks turn red. Then his warm laughter fills the space around them, and somehow it relaxes her.

Its the same thing every time she sees him like this. It makes her feel small, like a little girl experiencing the world for the first time ever. In him, she sees perfection even in his tiniest flaws, and it makes her wonder how she appears in his eyes. Why she feels this way she's never known. The only thing that is clear is the fact that only one man has ever made her feel this way-Deeks. _Her _Deeks.

Deeks steps forward, and pulls Kensi into his muscular arms. He lowers his head and seizes her lips with his own in a deep, passionate kiss. Her hands make their way up into his shaggy, dirty-blond hair, and a low moan escapes from deep within him.

"Damn you." she whispers against his lips. He chuckles, his voice husky with desire, and the sound of it only intensifies her own building heat. She knows in the back of her mind that this little dance they're currently doing could make them late for work, but for some reason she just doesn't care.

"Want me to stop?" he asks between kisses. He knows already how she will respond, but still he enjoys hearing her say the words out loud.

She shakes her head. "N-no...don't stop." Her voice is thick with need when she speaks. "Take me."

Deeks chuckles once more. "Not so fast, Fern." he says, as he steals another passionate kiss from her tender lips.

"No." Kensi says fiercely. "Now." She presses her own body against his, and the intense heat from the contact threatens to set them both off prematurely. She gasps for air against the overwhelming sensations of want and need that burn within her core now.

"Shit." Deeks swears under his breath at the feel of her sex pressed firmly against his. "No fair." He groans. He swallows hard as he struggles to maintain control of himself.

"Now." Kensi reiterates, even more forcefully this time, and continues to press harder against him.

"To hell with it." he says at last. He hoists her up, and lets her wrap her legs around his waist-then he enters her. "Aah," he gasps as he feels her muscles tightening around his erection. Being with Kensi in this way is like nothing else he's ever felt or experienced in his entire life, and he can't help but feel honored to have such a privilege.

"Deeks...please." She squirms against him, panting, desperate for friction and release.

He begins to move within her, slowly at first, but then gradually increases the tempo with each successive thrust. Tiny moans and whimpers escape Kensi's throat as waves of pleasure break over her, like the tide against the sandy, seashore. She digs her fingernails into the soft flesh of his muscular back, and the action only serves to drive him onward, faster and faster, towards the inevitable release that awaits them both.

She's panting and gasping for air now, and her heart beats thunderously inside her chest. She can feel the muscles in her core winding tighter and tighter. She knows she's close to her climax, and her entire body seems to scream for release. "D-Deeks," she tries, but she can hardly get the words out.

"I'll catch you." he whispers softly.

His words are like a green light for her. The muscles in her core convulse around him, and she feels her entire body go rigid and then limp against his. "OOooh Deeks." she moans.

He feels her body spasm around his erection, and it's enough to finally push him over the edge behind her. "God, Kens." he groans with his release.

Once they finally return to normal, Kensi lifts her head to look up at Deeks. They gaze into each other's eyes for a moment, lost in silence. Kensi knows, all too well, the words that rest just upon the tip of Deek's tongue. He's said them to her before, but in the 8 months that they had been together she had yet to say them back. She doesn't know why that is, only that something always seems to stop her. She knows how she feels about the shaggy-haired man, but something about saying those three little words, words she hasn't spoken to anyone since Jack, would only make things worse should her relationship with Deeks go sour at some point.

Most of all though, she hates thinking about how much he gives and gives, and then says nothing about how little he gets in return from her. It hurts her heart in so many ways, and she wishes like all hell that she could be more expressive, like her partner, about her feelings.

"You know we're gonna be late for work." Kensi says at last, as she presses a kiss against her lover's lips.

Deeks only shrugs. "I'm sure Hetty'll understand." he replies in a low voice.

Kensi laughs at the absurd notion put forth by the shaggy-haired surfer dude. "Right. Sorry we're late Hetty, we decided to _do it _in the shower before work this morning." she says in a mocking tone.

Deeks laughs at the brunette still in his arms. "You make it sound so dirty, you know that?" he says with a crooked grin.

Kensi rolls her eyes. "Everything sounds dirty to you, Deeks." she remarks.

"I blame you princess." he replies with a chuckle and a smile.

* * *

"I 'm so glad the two of you finally decided to join us." Hetty says pointedly, as Deeks and Kensi finally stroll into the OPs Centre. Hetty is not one to be kept waiting, and everyone at OSP knows this. She and the rest of the NCIS team have been waiting for the couple to arrive for what seems like forever.

"Its his fault." Kensi says, pointing the finger of blame towards her partner. She is trying hard to suppress the smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Deeks shoots back, brow arched at his partner. "Okay, for the record, _she_ takes an hour to get ready...and that's _after _she gets out of the shower."

Hetty clears her throat, loudly, before Kensi can respond, and the two are effectively silenced on the spot. "We can assign blame, later. As for right now, we have work to do." She glances from Deeks to Kensi, and then turns to face the massive screening area at the front of the room. "Mr. Beal, if you would please."

Eric's fingers dance across his keyboard with lightning speed and precision, and within seconds images flash across the huge viewing screen. "This…is-" he begins.

"Diego Espinoza." Deeks cuts in, recognizing the image of the man in the center of the screen. "He runs the L.A. chapter of his father's drug business. LAPD's been trying to shut down their operations for years…but no one's been able to get close enough."

"What do you know…it does have a brain." Sam jokes quietly.

"Oh, Ha Ha. That-That's funny. That's rich…you know what Sam, you should try stand-up…you'd be a real riot." Deeks retorts. "Or at least cause one."

"Yes, well, this time someone did I'm afraid." Hetty replies somberly, bringing everyone back to the topic at hand. "An officer was found dead early this morning when her body washed ashore in Malibu. She was working undercover-posing as Mr. Espinoza's girlfriend."

"Forgive me Hetty…I'm a little confused. This sounds like a case for LAPD, not NCIS." Callen isn't wrong, and under any other circumstances NCIS would not be involved—but these are special circumstances.

"During the autopsy a thumb drive was found lodged in the deceased's stomach. The intel contained on the thumb drive suggests that Diego Espinoza may be selling more than just drugs these days." Nell explains. "Also, there was mention of this man." She adds, pointing towards the screen.

Eric presses a few more keys on the keyboard, and a second image appears on the screen next to the one of Diego Espinoza.

"Commander Paul Sawyer, former U.S. Navy, and now current head of NewTech's Research & Development division." Eric recites the information off of the screen effortlessly, relaying the Intel to his teammates.

"NewTech." Callen muses aloud. "I've heard of them. They've been getting some pretty big defense contracts the last couple of years-mostly with the Navy."

"Correct. In fact, Sawyer himself has been credited with landing some of NewTech's biggest contracts since joining the firm back in 09." Nell adds.

"Says here," Sam chimes in, while reading the information displayed across the huge viewing screen. "NewTech has been developing everything from experimental weapons to special plating designed to reduce a Submarine's sonar signature."

"So we're thinking Sawyer's using Diego to sell Navy secrets on the side." Callen says thoughtfully.

"At this point, Mr. Callen, we don't know _what_ we think." Hetty replies. "However, Assistant Director Granger and LAPD's own Lt. Bates have agreed to run a joint-investigation into the Espinoza's and their supposed connections with Sawyer and NewTech." Hetty explains to the team.

The looks of confusion that once held places upon the faces of the NCIS team are now gone, and in their places are looks of more understanding.

"Alright, I'll bite." Callen says after several moments. "So, how do we play this one?" he asks.

"Good question." Hetty replies. "Granger has suggested a need for _someone on the inside_."

"Undercover work, sweet." Deeks remarks. Undercover work has always been easy for him, and he's always enjoyed a chance to pretend to be someone else for a change.

"I'm glad you like the idea, Mr. Deeks." Hetty says pointedly. "As you and Ms. Blye will be taking point on this one."

A smile creases the shaggy-haired Detectives' features, and he can't help but feel excited at the idea of working undercover with _his girl_. To him, it's almost a dream come true. "I'm liking this case already." Deeks remarks once again.

A somber look passes quickly over Hetty's face, but then soon disappears. Deeks can't help but find the look somewhat disturbing and unsettling, but he shakes it off dismissively.

"So what's their cover?" Sam asks, his curiosity clearly peaked now.

"Right. Ms. Jones." Hetty says, stepping off to one side.

Nell steps up, and cues Eric to display the next set of information on the viewing screen. "You guys will be assuming the identities of Isaac and Alexis Hayes."

"Nice. Looks like you and me are gonna be a couple, babe." Deeks remarks, and then gives Kensi a wink.

"Great." Kensi says while rolling her eyes.

"Not quite." Eric interjects.

"Sorry, you guys." Nell says apologetically. "Isaac and Alexis are brother and sister." She explains.

Sam and Callen exchange looks across the room at hearing Nell's explanation. "Nah, not buying it." Callen says, as he folds his arms across his chest.

"G's right." Sam chimes in. "It'll never work."

Hetty gives a small sigh, and shakes her head lightly at the two agents. "If you two would let us finish before you start passing judgment-" Her dark eyes peer through her spectacles and cut through the two agents like a knife through butter.

"Fair enough." Callen replies quietly with a nod. When it comes to Hetty Lange, Callen knows when he's beaten.

"Thank you. Ms. Jones, you may continue."

Nell nods her thanks to Hetty, and then proceeds to enlighten the rest of the NCIS team. "Right. The official cover story is that Isaac's parents divorced while he was still young. He never saw his Father again, but his Mother, Margaret Sanford, got re-married two years later to one Derrick Hayes-a wealthy businessman from New York. Hayes already had a young daughter, Alexis, from a previous marriage, but he legally adopted Isaac as his own a year after marrying Isaac's Mother. Isaac and Alexis are virtually inseparable now that both of their parents are deceased."

"Also, Isaac is very protective of his younger step-sister, and treats her like a queen. Nothing is too good for her…or too expensive." Nell adds. "He's mostly all business though, as he inherited his Step-Father's million-dollar shipping company."

"Gee, that…kinda sounds like _every_ relationship I've ever been in." Deeks remarks humorously. Kensi's elbow finds a soft spot in his ribs seconds later, and lets him know he's on thin ice. "With the exception of the current relationship…yeah, that one's more like a spoiled princess." He adds with a lopsided grin. He manages to quietly deflect Kensi's next elbow jab, much to her dismay.

"Alexis, on the other hand, likes to have fun and never shy's away from a party. She's not shy when it comes to her _boy toys_ either. The only opinion she values above her own is her brother's."

"I like her already." Kensi admits with a smile. "You know, except for the whole older brother thing."

"So here's how this works," Hetty starts in almost immediately. "U.S. Navy secrets may or may not have been compromised. Our assignment is to find out, and if so, then to what extent. Ms. Blye will be our eyes and ears on the inside—Diego Espinoza is sure to be in the market for a new girlfriend…that's our way in."

"Suddenly, I'm liking this assignment less and less." Deeks remarks quietly.

"What's the matter Deeks...jealous?" Kensi's eyes light up at the uneasiness she sees in her lovers' face.

"Me. Jealous?" Deeks scoffs. "Not a chance, Fern."

"Mr. Deeks will be her handler for this operation." Hetty adds.

"I see. Posing as her brother provides a believable excuse for regular meetings, during which she'll pass along whatever Intel she collects." Callen says, thinking aloud.

"And no one's the wiser." Sam chimes in, finishing his partner's thought.

Hetty only nods in agreement with Callen and Sam. "Precisely. Mr. Callen, you and Mr. Hanna will be in charge of outside surveillance of all parties involved."

"Endless stakeouts." Sam remarks, feigning a thin smile. "Oh joy." He folds his arms across his chest.

"Now, Mr. Beal, I need you and Ms. Jones to begin working up the false identities and histories for Mr. Deeks and Ms. Blye." Hetty says, turning her attention then to the two tech specialists.

"We will get right on that." Nell replies with a quick nod.

"The rest of you have brief packets awaiting you at your desks. Read up, and read up well."

Everyone in the room nods, and then the NCIS team begins heading for the stairs that lead back down into the bullpen.

"Oh, and Mr. Deeks." Hetty says, calling Deeks' attention to her as she strolls toward him. "I need to have a word with you in my office, please."

"Okay, sure." Deeks replies.

* * *

Uneasiness hangs in the air around Hetty's office space, and Deeks can't help but feel a little anxious as he and Hetty take their respective seats on either side of the oak-wood desk. He watches the tiny woman as she shuffles stacks of paper around on her desktop. Her body language tells him that whatever anxiety he may be feeling, she is feeling something akin to it as well.

"Um, Hetty," he tries quietly. His attempt to break the silence obviously works, because she finally looks up at him. The expression on her face is one he feels sure he'll never forget. "Why…am I here exactly?" he asks, clearing his throat.

"Right." The tiny woman speaks slowly, and then lets out a heavy sigh as she seems to search his eyes for something. "Please understand, Mr. Deeks, that what you're about to hear…you did not hear from me."

Deeks tips his head forward in a nod of understanding. "Hetty, is something wrong?"

"I was instructed by both Granger and Bates to withhold certain pieces of information from you in the interest of _the greater good_. They believe that this information, in your hands, could potentially jeopardize the mission at hand. Understand, Mr. Deeks, that what _they_ think and what _I _think are two very different things."

Deeks feels his throat tightening, and every fiber of his being begins to tense as if awaiting the delivery of bad news.

The tiny woman opens the top drawer of her desk, and withdraws a slender manila file folder from somewhere within it. She closes the drawer and holds the folder just out of Deeks' reach. "Technically, this file does not exist." She says in a low voice.

Deeks nods, and then extends his own hand to accept the manila file folder.

"As I understand it," Hetty starts as Deeks takes the folder from her hand. "You two were…_close_."

Deeks holds the folder in his hands, and slowly opens the cover to reveal the disturbing contents held within. "God," Deeks gasps almost instantly. He can't help averting his eyes from the glossy photos pinned to the inside of the folder.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Deeks. I truly am." Hetty says softly from her seat on the opposite side of the desk.

Deeks finally chances a second look at the inside of the file folder. The contents within include an autopsy report, photos from both the crime scene and from the autopsy, and also included is an extensive background report.

The photos show a young, beautiful Hispanic woman who is barely past her mid-twenties. Deeks knows instantly the identity of the woman—Maria Chavez. As he stares down at the lifeless form depicted in the photographs he feels an intense ache growing within his heart.

Her usually dark, silky hair is now matted and frayed with death, and her once flawless features are now hidden by a series of cuts and bruises. He almost finds it hard to believe that the woman in the pictures is the same energetic, determined young woman he once knew.

"Maria…" he whispers her name and feels his lips quiver. He thinks back to Hetty's earlier case briefing. "She's the one that…the one they found this morning."

Hetty nods. "Bates told me that she volunteered for the assignment." The tiny woman explains quietly.

Deeks only nods in response. "I-I knew she was working on some sort of special assignment, but I never knew exactly what she was doing." He admits. "How much do you know?" He asks, expecting to hear nothing less than 'everything'.

"Only that you were listed as her _only_ next of kin." Hetty replies in a quiet voice.

Deeks nods. His eyes are still transfixed upon the heart-wrenching photos in the file folder. "Her Father left them when she was 4, and her Mother fought cancer for years afterward." He explains, his voice thick with emotion as he relays the story to the Ops Manager sitting across from him. "She was fifteen when I met her. That night she and a friend went to the movies together, and when they got back…"

_Two girls talk and giggle excitedly as they stroll down the sidewalk through a quiet, little neighborhood. The main topic of their conversation is the film they have just seen. Neither one knows just how quickly their Friday night of fun is about to go dreadfully wrong._

"_I could watch Antonio Banderas in anything." Maria remarks to her friend, with a chuckle. _

"_Geez Maria," Maria's friend Danielle retorts jokingly. "You love the guy so much, why don't you just marry him." _

_Both girls laugh at the joke._

_Now they are approaching Maria's house, and there aren't any lights on—inside or out. This is odd, as Mrs. Chavez always leaves the outside light when she knows that Maria won't be home til late in the evening._

"_Doesn't your Mom usually leave the light on for you?" Danielle asks as they reach the edge of Maria's front yard. _

"_Yeah, Hmm…that's strange." Maria replies in agreement with her friends' observation. "Hey, looks like the front door is open."_

_Maria starts towards the house, her pace quickening with each stride, and soon she is standing directly in front of the front door, which has been left standing ajar. "Mom!" Maria calls through the open door._

"_Maria, wait. I don't think we should go in there…I have a bad feeling, maybe we should call the police first." Danielle insists, as she fidgets nervously just several feet behind her best friend._

"_You go call the police if you want." Maria says over her shoulder. "I need to check on my Mom." _

_The teenage girl disappears through the front door into the darkness beyond. A few seconds later a light switches on somewhere within the small house, and then a scream of horror is heard shortly thereafter._

"_Mama!" Maria screams in horror._

_Danielle hears the scream, and immediately dashes through the front door in search of her friend. "Maria!"_

* * *

_Inside the house, Danielle makes her way to the back of the house where she finds Maria in the floor of the Master Bedroom cradling her Mother's head in her lap. There is a pool of blood beneath the lifeless body, and her clothing has been torn asunder. The sight is nearly too much for Danielle._

_Maria looks up at her friend standing just inside the doorway of the bedroom. Her eyes and cheeks glisten with fresh tears. "She won't wake up." Maria sobs._

"_I'll go call 911." Danielle tells her friend, and then leaves to locate a telephone._

"_Hurry!" Maria calls after Danielle. "Please, Hurry!"_

Deeks lets go of a ragged sigh. His eyes are moist and red with emotion, as recalling the memory always takes a toll on him. "I was still a rookie then…actually, it was my first crime scene." He recalls. "Maria was part of the reason I decided to try for Detective." Deeks admits. "Because of the neighborhood they lived in, no one else down at the precinct would touch it, and after a few months it was labeled a 'cold case' and filed away in storage."

"I visited her in foster care every weekend to make sure she was okay. I knew the family she was staying with. The way she looked when we found her that night still haunts me to this day."

Hetty nods her understanding. Her own eyes also glisten with fresh tears from listening to Deeks' story. "You became like family to one another." She muses aloud.

Deeks snorts back a low chuckle as the memory of Maria's high school graduation comes to the forefront of his mind. "At her High School Graduation…she introduced me to her friends as her _big brother_." Deeks recalls, a small, sad smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"You have a good heart, Mr. Deeks. Its what makes you a good cop." Hetty tells him softly.

Deeks shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Tell that to Maria." Deeks replies rather distastefully.

Anyone else in the world might take offense to Deeks' sudden display of attitude, but not Hetty. She only sits quietly, her face holding nothing but concern and understanding within its weathered features. "Make no mistake, Mr. Deeks, the responsible parties will be brought to justice—mark my words."

Deeks only nods. The look in the shaggy-haired Detectives' eyes tears Hetty's heart in two as she sits in her chair across from him.

"Thanks for telling me, Hetty." Deeks says at last. He stands up from his seat, and holds the file folder out for Hetty to take back. The tiny woman extends her hand, and nods her thanks.

"You are very welcome, Mr. Deeks." Hetty replies quietly. "She was lucky to have you in her life." She adds.

"Too bad it wasn't enough." Deeks whispers before turning to leave Hetty's office.

* * *

Deeks strolls into the bullpen looking as though the world rests upon his shoulders. Kensi turns away from her conversation with Callen and Sam, and walks towards the shaggy-haired man.

"Everything okay?" she asks, noticing the tear streaks just beneath his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. She isn't sure exactly what he and Hetty talked about, but she is certain that whatever it was—it wasn't good.

He shakes his head at her, and then tries to move past her. "I can't do this right now." He whispers, as he moves towards his desk. He quickly and quietly retrieves his personal effects, and then turns towards the exit.

"Deeks." Kensi tries. "Please, talk to me." She begs quietly.

Deeks stops only momentarily, and looks into her eyes for the longest time. Then he kisses her gently on the lips. "I'm sorry…I can't." Then he turns and walks out of the mission.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: This first chapter is just merely the introduction into the story that I am going to tell, and I hope that you guys will join me for the** **ride. **

**P.S. Please comment/review so that I know you guys are interested, and would like me to continue updating this story. Thanks a lot!  
**


	2. Chp 2

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 2

It's late in the afternoon when Kensi finally catches up with her partner. She finds him at the beach, in his favorite spot no less, but he's not surfing. He's sitting in the sand watching the continuous succession of waves as they roll up against the shoreline. He's seems lost in thought as the waning light from the setting sun plays across his scruffy face.

She remembers the look she saw in his eyes as he was leaving the mission. They lacked their usual jovial glow, and instead told the story of a deeply tortured man desperate for escape. She went to Hetty shortly after he'd left hoping to find out what the operations manager had said to him, but the tiny woman would not be swayed. Hetty insisted she be patient, and wait for Deeks to come to her.

All day long she's tried to shake the image from her head, but it continues to haunt her.

Now, she stands just several feet away from her shaggy-haired lover, and he's yet to notice, or acknowledge, her presence. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out again, and takes a few more steps towards him. With each step she takes she steels her nerves just a little bit more. She's never been good at this sort of thing, but for him she'll try.

"Should've known you'd come here." She says in a quiet voice. "That's a beautiful sunset, isn't it?" she adds, turning her head slightly to look at the giant fireball setting low against the horizon.

"I guess." He mutters.

_Stupid. _Kensi scolds herself internally. _What are you thinking…he's obviously NOT here for the sunset._ "I mean, err, You know, this actually isn't the first place I looked for you." She says as she steps up beside him.

"Where else did you look?" he asks, rather plainly.

"Well, I checked both our houses—of course. Then I called down at the precinct after that. The guy at the desk said he saw you earlier, but you were already gone by the time I called." She replies.

"Yeah, sounds about right."

Kensi can tell that she really isn't getting anywhere with her present line of questioning. She takes in another deep breath and lets it out again, and then she lowers herself to the sand beside the shaggy-haired surfer dude.

"Look, Deeks, we both know I'm not good at this sort of thing—horrible actually. Empathy has always been something I've lacked, but I'm really trying here." Her voice is soft now, as she speaks, and she's really trying hard to hide the slight quake that's slowly building in it.

He shifts uneasily in the sand beside her.

"Even a blind person could tell that you're in pain though, and I know it has something to do with whatever you and Hetty talked about this morning, in her office." Kensi continues. There is a long moment of silence between them as Kensi lays her hand next to his on the sand. "Please," she says in a mildly pleading tone. "I just want to help…but I can't do that, if you shut me out, okay. I care about you."

"I can't." he replies in a hoarse whisper. Deeks pulls himself to his feet, pulling his hand away from hers, and walks towards the surf. He doesn't stop until his bare feet finally feel the cool, salty waters of the Pacific Ocean running over them.

"Deeks…."

"This isn't your burden." He croaks. I know that's not what you want to hear, but-"

Kensi stands to her own two feet, and approaches her partner. "You're right, it's not." She tells him. "I thought we were partners?"

"We are." He replies.

"Then why are you doing this?" she presses him. Her voice is audibly beginning to shake from both the anger and the hurt that she's feeling.

"You wouldn't understand."

Kensi steps around, and places herself right in front of the brooding, shaggy-haired man. She's as determined as ever to find out what it is that's bothering her partner. "Then make me understand." She says, with a sudden fierceness in her mismatched eyes. "I want to understand, okay. So let me, please."

Her features soften afterwards, and she takes a step towards Deeks. She is standing toe-to-toe with him at this point, and her eyes are locked with his in an intense moment of silence. Without warning he wraps his arms around her mid-section, and pulls her close. There, their lips meet in an unhindered display of beautiful passion.

"Please…" she presses him once more.

"Kensi Blye," he starts, no longer trying to hide the tears he's been fighting back for so long. "I love you so much, and I can't imagine life without you. I don't want to…ever."

"Deeks…" she tries, but he doesn't let her finish.

"I need you to understand this, Fern. Even if what he have never…if this is all we _ever_ have—It doesn't matter. You are the most important thing in my world, and you always will be." He continues, tears now streaking freely down his scruffy cheeks.

Kensi's own eyes are now teaming with fresh tears, and she wishes that he would just stop. The reasons are not because she doesn't feel the exact same way, because she does, but because he sounds like someone who's just been given the death sentence.

"Please," he begs quietly. "Tell me you understand."

"I-I do." She stammers as she tries to reign in her out-of-control emotions. "Just please let me in." she begs once again.

* * *

A Few Hours Later…

Deeks sits at the end of Kensi's bed wearing only a clean pair of boxers. He is silent, and deep in thought as he waits for his girl to get out of the shower. In his head, he continuously walks over everything he knows about their current case at NCIS, and the LAPD cold case involving Maria's mother. Even more than that, though, he's thinking about what he's asked his current partner to do, and how dangerous it could potentially be for her.

The shower finally shuts off, and then a minute or so later Kensi enters into the bedroom from the attached Master Bathroom. She has one fluffy, pink towel wrapped around her body, and then a smaller one wrapped around her hair.

"You don't think anyone saw us out there…do you?" she asks, with slight worry in her voice, as she walks past Deeks on her way to her dresser.

"I don't know," Deeks replies, looking over his shoulder at the brunette as she pulls on a pair of frilly panties. "Guess we'll just have to check YouTube in the morning." He adds, more in the style of his usual cheeky self.

"Funny." Kensi says rolling her eyes.

Deeks shrugs.

Kensi slides on a t-shirt, and a pair of pajama bottoms finally. Then she runs the towel through her hair thoroughly as she walks back towards the bathroom. After depositing both towels in the bathroom hamper, she walks back out towards the end of the bed where Deeks is sitting. She sets herself down sideways across his lap, and he wraps his arms around her pulling her close.

"You okay?" she asks, looking up into his Pacific Ocean blue eyes.

Deeks nods in response. "Just thinking."

"About Maria?" Kensi whispers as she presses a gentle kiss to her lover's lips.

"Yeah." Deeks replies quietly between kisses.

"I promise you, we'll get him." Kensi says reassuringly.

Deeks shakes his head lightly. "I should tell you to just walk away, its too dangerous…but I can't" Deeks says just before pressing a passionate kiss against his girls' luscious lips. "I need someone I can trust."

"I wouldn't walk away, even if you did tell me too." She replies. "This is how I can help you…we can bring Espinoza down together, and get justice for Maria."

"Thank you." He whispers softly against her lips.

Kensi decides to change the subject then, and that is exactly what she does. "I still can't believe we did it on the beach. I feel so dirty."

Deeks chuckles, and to Kensi it's the most wonderful sound she's heard from him all day long. "My two favorite things," he says with a half-grin. "The waves and a beautiful woman."

That makes Kensi smile. "I bet you say that to all the girls." She teases.

"Just the pretty ones." He replies.

Kensi laughs. "Tell you what, lets get something to eat, okay? Because right now, I'm starving." She says as she stands up. Then she reaches out and grabs his hands, and proceeds to pull him to his feet as well. "Come on."

"Fine. Let me get dressed." He tells her with a sigh. He reaches behind him, and picks up the pair of pajama bottoms that he always keeps at her place for just such an occasion. It takes him less than a minute to pull on the night pants, and then tie the drawstring. "Okay, I'm good." He says seconds later.

Kensi stifles a laugh. "No shirt?"

"Why? We're not going out to eat are we?" Deeks asks, with a half-grin.

Kensi loves, and is grateful, that he's playing along with her lame attempt at cheering him up. Again, she's not good at this kind of stuff, but she's trying. "Nope. We're staying in of course."

"Good, no shirt it is." He remarks with a nod.

"What are you hungry for?" she asks.

"You cooking?" Deeks asks, arching a brow at the brunette.

"Of course."

"In that case, I'll have cereal." He replies.

"Cereal? Really, why?" Kensi asks, scrunching her face up at the idea.

"Cereal won't fill the house with smoke." He remarks. "Let me rephrase that, 'shouldn't' fill the house with smoke."

"Alright smart ass, then you cook." Kensi says over her shoulder as she turns and exits the bedroom.

"Why do I get the feeling that was your plan all along? Princess?" Deeks follows after the gorgeous brunette.

* * *

Later…..

It's 2:00 in the morning, and even though they laid down hours ago sleep has been hard coming for the shaggy-haired Detective. Images of Maria and her mother loomed in his every thought, and for a while it seemed as though restlessness might consume him completely. Now after several hours of battling with himself, his own light snoring finally fills the room.

Kensi is grateful for this. She has been awake with him the entire time, and it's been torture for her. She's not used to seeing Deeks like this, in pain, and it kills her. To Kensi, Deeks is too good a person, and he deserves better. For now though, he seems to be at peace and she's glad.

She snuggles up closer against him wrapping her arm around his mid-section. Then she nestles her head into his chest, and closes her eyes to the world. As sleep begins to settle over her at last she makes a silent vow to herself.

_Whatever it takes._

* * *

2 Days Later…..

It's late in the evening in L.A. as Deeks and Kensi pull up in front of a popular, and somewhat exclusive club. Their snazzy blue sports car stands out exceptionally well, and perfectly plays up the image of wealth that their cover demands. It takes no more than a few seconds for a nearby parking attendant to notice the new arrivals.

Eric's voice suddenly buzzes in their ears via earwig. "Can you guys hear me okay?" he asks over the crackle of the radio.

"Loud and clear good buddy." Deeks responds cheerfully.

"Good." Eric says, clearly satisfied with the Detective's answer.

"What about after we're inside?" Deeks asks curiously. "I mean, this isn't exactly a church." He points out.

"We've got that covered." Eric replies. "Nell and I should be able to filter out any unwanted background noise allowing us to hear every word you guys say."

"Good to know." Deeks says with a nod, even though he knows Eric can't see him.

"Now, if you two don't mind," The all-too familiar voice of the operations manager sounds clearly over the radio. "Let's get this show underway, shall we?"

"Yes ma'am." The partners reply in unison.

Deeks doesn't move at first though. He just sits in place staring out through the windshield of the car in silence. Kensi reaches over, and loops her hand around one of his. She gives it a light squeeze, and he turns to look at her. The look he gives her is one that she knows very well.

"It's gonna be okay." She whispers softly.

"Promise me you'll be careful." He says quietly.

"Hey, don't worry. I can take care of myself, remember?"

"Kens." Deeks says, giving her a stern look.

"I will, okay." She says at last, with a sigh. "I promise."

"Don't try to be Wonder Woman this time. If things get hairy, just say the word. I'll be right there." He says, in a tone that is almost pleading with her.

Kensi opens her mouth to reply, but just before she can utter a single word Eric cuts in on their conversation.

"That reminds me," the tech analyst cuts in suddenly. "Kensi, your 'Duress' word is _Peaches_."

"Hey Eric, its not nice to listen in on private conversations." Kensi says pointedly.

"Oh…sorry." Eric replies.

Kensi turns her attention back to Deeks then, and her features soften for just the tiniest moment. "I know you will." She says, finally responding to Deeks' earlier statement. She gives her lover a soft smile, and then squeezes his hand gently once more.

Deeks nods knowingly, and then moves to unbuckle his seatbelt. A low chuckle suddenly escapes his throat as he lets the seat belt slide backwards across his lap as it returns to its original resting place. "Peaches." He chuckles to himself, thinking about the Duress word again.

Kensi rolls her eyes, though she is in no way surprised by Deeks' reaction. "You're not gonna let that one go, are you?"

"What?" Deeks replies, acting as if he hasn't a clue what she means.

Kensi shakes her head at him. "I know exactly what your warped mind is thinking right now." She tells him.

"Warped? Kensi, I'm offended." Deeks replies playfully.

"Sure you are."

"You two need to really sell the cover on this one." Hetty says over their earwig radios.

"Hey, we got this." Deeks replies with a smirk.

"I certainly hope so."

Deeks finally steps out of the driver side of the car, and does a quick survey of the surrounding area as he runs a hand through his shaggy hair. He adjusts himself accordingly, and seamlessly falls into the role of his cover identity. He also notes to himself promptly that the absence of his trademark facial scruff suddenly makes him feel a bit naked. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and as he closes his car door Kensi finally opens hers.

The beautiful brunette exits the car next looking even more stunning, if that's even possible, than she usually does. Her dark hair hangs around the edges of her face in light, bouncy curls, and seems to add a layer of mystery to the female federal agent. She instantly becomes her cover identity with nearly as much ease as Deeks had assumed his.

"What do you think, Sis?" Deeks asks, looking the place over.

Kensi gives a girlish giggle, and a nod towards her partner as she closes her car door behind her. "I love it." she replies dreamily. "L.A. has everything. Why can't we live here instead of New York?" She asks.

"Hey, the Big Apple has its charms too ya know." Deeks replies playfully, with a wink.

"If you say so."

The parking attendant reaches the duo, and offers to park their car in the rear lot for them. Deeks smiles and hands over the keys to the blue sports car. "Careful, she's sensitive." He says with a wink to the attendant.

Kensi steps around the front of the car then, and joins her partner as the attendant climbs into the drivers seat behind them. "Will you dance with me this time?" Kensi asks, hopefully. "Just once."

Deeks gives a light shake of his head in her direction. "Kitten, you know I don't mix business with pleasure." He says with a wink.

Kensi sticks her tongue out playfully, and feigns disgust at the remark. "Eww, gross." She says, but then a light giggle escapes her throat.

"Its just for tonight," he tells her as they head for the clubs' front door. "Then I'm all yours for the rest of the weekend. We'll do whatever you want, promise."

"But that's what you always say." Kensi replies, feigning a slightly exaggerated pout.

"This time I mean it." He says very simply.

"You'd better." She replies. "Or I'll make you very sorry." She says as she wags a finger in his face.

Deeks chuckles at the brunette. They stop short of the entrance, and Deeks does the gentlemanly thing. He holds the door open for his partner, and lets her enter the club ahead of him.

"Show time." He whispers to himself as he enters the building, letting the door close behind him.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: I really hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did, and I apologize for the rather lengthy wait I put you all through. Things got a little hectic with work and night classes, but its all going pretty smoothly now. Hopefully, this means I'll be able to start updating on a more regular basis. **

**P.S. Thanks as well for all your feedback/comments from the first chapter—I dig the love.**

**P.S.S. Also, if any of you guys are reading my other story, Partners, I hope to have the next update for that one ready real soon. Thanks Again :)  
**


	3. Chp 3

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 3

Inside the club it is already super crowded. People move around the room, drinking and mingling as they make their way from one end of the room to the other. The lighting in the club is not very bright, but it is adequate nonetheless. As the partners survey the massive, open main room they find the different levels of social hierarchy easy to pick out amongst the mingling blur of faces that make up the large crowd.

"We're in." Deeks says in a low voice out of the corner of his mouth.

"_Gotcha." Eric replies over the radio in their ears. "We've got you on surveillance now." He tells them._

The plan they've set up is a fairly simple one. Deeks' cover story for this phase of the Op is that he is here to meet with a potential client, one Mr. Derek Cassellas—a role that will be filled by G. Callen. They chose the club as their meeting spot, as both men enjoy good booze and beautiful women. Kensi's cover story is that she is accompanying her brother for a night on the town, which includes a somewhat brief stop at this club.

All fingers are crossed that the plan will work out like they hope it will.

Deeks pretends to scan the room for a bit. Then he finally finds his target. Callen is sitting in the back of the main room in a slightly darker, more private corner. "Ah, there he is." Deeks says aloud.

"Oh." Kensi replies following Deeks' gaze. "That's your friend? He's actually kind of cute."

"Uh, no." Deeks says pointedly. "Don't even think about it, Sis."

Kensi gives a slight giggle. "I love watching you squirm." She teases. "Its so much fun. Besides, he's not really my type anyway."

"Let's keep it that way. Tell you what, why don't you go wait at the bar. Get yourself a drink." Deeks says with a smile. "I shouldn't be too long." He adds, as he heads off into the crowd.

Kensi shrugs, but obediently heads towards the bar at the opposite end of the room.

* * *

Kensi reaches the bar within just a minute or so. She plops down onto one of the bar stools, and sets her shoulder bag down on the counter top. Behind the bar, disguised as a bar tender, is the muscular ex-Navy Seal member of the NCIS team—Sam Hanna.

"What can I get you this evening?" Sam asks, as he approaches the female federal agent.

"Hi," Kensi says with a bright smile. "Do you know the _Pink Lady_?" Kensi asks.

Sam scoffs under his breath at the question. "Do dogs like trees?"

Kensi giggles once again, and suddenly finds that she's really beginning to hate that nauseating, girly laugh she's stuck doing for at least the rest of the night.

"Good." She says, maintaining her smile. "Then I'll have one."

Sam nods, and flashes a smile back at Kensi. "Alright. One _Pink Lady_ coming right up."

Sam reaches down underneath the bar, and returns with a bottle of Gin, Lemon Juice, Grenadine, and Cream. He mixes the ingredients together with the finesse and flourish characteristic of most seasoned bartenders. A shot of the gin, a splash of the lemon juice, a splash of the grenadine, and a splash of cream are all mixed together. Next comes one egg white added to the mixture, which is then given a few extra shakes until the whole concoction is thoroughly combined. He finally pours the whole thing into one pre-chilled Martini glass, which he also retrieves from a built-in mini-cooler underneath the counter.

"Any sign of our guy?" Kensi asks in a low voice, once she's sure that no one else can hear.

"Nope. Not yet." Sam replies quietly, as he finishes off the drink by garnishing it with a single cherry. "Here you go, Miss. Enjoy." He says with a smile, sinking back into character as one of the other bartenders passes by within earshot of the two of them.

"Thanks." Kensi replies with a bright, girlish smile. "Looks yummy." She adds with a wink. She tips the glass to her lips, and takes a long sip. "Hmmmmmm." She licks her lips, and moans afterward. "That's the best."

Sam nods and smiles in appreciation.

Kensi fishes some money out of her purse and passes it across the bar to the muscular bar tender.

* * *

Deeks steps up to the edge of the private corner, and stands staring across the way at the NCIS team leader, G. Callen. Callen is sharply dressed, as is called for by his cover identity, and he has a very attractive young blond straddling his lap.

Deeks clears his throat to get the other man's attention. "Guess the rumors about you _are_ true." Deeks remarks.

Callen stops what he is doing, and looks around the blond woman. "Which ones?"

"You know, the ones about business and pleasure." Deeks replies, with a smirk.

Callen looks up, and appears to say something to the woman. After a second or two the woman finally gets up, winks at Callen, and then walks away—swinging her hips seductively as she goes.

"For your information," Callen says at last. "Her business is my pleasure." He says, cracking a wide smile.

"I see."

Callen stands up then, and extends his hand out to Deeks. "Look alive everyone." The team leader says in a quiet voice. "Our guy just entered the building." Callen can see the front entrance from where he is positioned.

Across the room, Diego Espinoza and two other guys are walking away from the entrance, and are heading in the direction of the bar.

"_I see him." Sam replies over the radio._

"You must be Isaac Hayes." Callen says, shaking Deeks' hand. "Derek Cassellas." He adds, referring to himself. "Good to meet you, I've heard good things about you and your…company."

Deeks laughs lightly. "Yeah? Well, don't believe everything you hear." He says humorously.

"A sense of humor." Callen muses, pointing a finger playfully at Deeks. "I think this could be the start of a beautiful partnership."

"Maybe." Deeks says in agreement. "What do you say we get a drink first, then talk business?" Deeks offers, with a grin.

A wide smile spreads across Callen's face, and he claps a hand against Deeks shoulder. "My friend, I like the way you think."

* * *

Kensi watches carefully, from out of her periphery, as the tan-skinned Diego Espinoza approaches the bar. He steps up just to her left, and leans against the counter top. The two other men that were with him just moments before, have gone off in different directions at this point.

The man lays a couple of bills down on the counter, and then motions for Sam. Sam approaches Diego, and puts on his best 'fake' bartender smile. "Yes sir?"

"Scotch. On the rocks, please." He says in a low voice.

"Coming right up." Sam replies. It takes only a minute or so for the muscular man to fix the drink, and then hand it to the tan-skinned man across the bar. "Enjoy."

The man starts to turn away, but before he gets too far—he turns back and eyes the tanned beauty sitting at the bar. "You must not be from around here." He says, his accent silky smooth as he speaks.

Kensi turns on her seat, taking a long sip off of her drink, and faces her addresser. "What makes you think that?" she asks cutely.

The man chuckles as he takes the seat next to Kensi. "I'm good with faces," he tells her. "One so lovely as yours is not easily missed…or forgotten."

Kensi smiles. "Flattery. How original."

He chuckles lightly and the sound of it is like sweet music as it floats through the air. He nods in agreement at Kensi, and takes a sip of his scotch. "It is much more than mere flattery though, I assure you." He says softly.

She smiles and averts her eyes, feigning slight embarrassment. "You're right. I'm not from around here." She tells him at last, between sips of her drink. "I'm in town with my brother—it's a business thing for him."

"Interesting. And yet, you're _here_…alone." The man muses aloud, as he takes another sip of his scotch.

"Oh no." she replies with a chuckle. "He's here too."

"I see. And would he be offended if I asked you…to dance?"

"Not at all." Kensi replies with a mischievous grin. She sets her drink down on the bar, and stands to her feet. At this point everything seems to be going according to plan. She knows now that she has at least one foot in the door, so to speak.

Diego downs the last of his scotch, and then sets the glass down on the bar next to Kensi's Martini glass. He extends his hand to Kensi, and as she offers her own in return their eyes meet. The fire that flickers within the depths of his chocolate-colored eyes is utterly mesmerizing, and threatens to nearly end her where she stands.

"Shall we?" he asks quietly, looking deep into her eyes as he speaks.

Kensi only nods in response, as the words seem to fail her at present.

He gently pulls her away from the bar, and leads her towards the dance floor. At first it feels as though she has no control over her own two feet. Its like her body has been put under some sort of hypnotic trance, and even though her mind is still very much aware of what's happening—she's helpless to stop it.

* * *

"Sam, you still have eyes on Kensi?" Callen asks quietly over his earwig radio piece.

"_Not at the moment, no." Sam replies. "She and Don Juan just hit the dance floor."_

"Alright. Stay alert. Deeks and I will be watching over this way." Callen says quietly.

"_Understood."_

* * *

Kensi and Diego find an open spot on the dance floor rather easily, and almost instantly the music takes hold of them. It thunders loudly in their ears as they begin to move rhythmically in time with the beat, and with each other. Diego quickly takes the lead, and Kensi can't help but follow it.

It doesn't take long once they start. The heat between them is undeniable, and it is growing stronger with every move they make together. It pulls them closer and closer to one another until she finds herself unable to resist the longing she feels towards him. The ache is simply unbearable, and her thoughts are ruled by images of being in his arms and feeling the warmth of his skin against her own.

Finally, the song stops and so do their bodies. They are breathless, and both are panting for air as they stand only mere inches apart. The heat between them is now so intense that it threatens to consume the female federal agent entirely.

"I must admit," he says at last, his voice low and soft. "You are unlike any woman I've met before, and it excites me. You have ignited a fire within me, and it must be quenched or it will surely end me."

Kensi finds herself leaning in ever closer, drawn to his warmth. Suddenly, he presses himself against her and kisses her fully on the lips. But it's different. She knows what she's used to, and this is anything but that—it feels almost _alien_. When she kisses Deeks, he gives her everything. The passion and the wanton desire in his heart is poured out for her in that one simple act. Now, however, wrapped up in the embrace of a stranger she feels differently. This new kiss is dark and savage, and it evokes an emotion in her that she knows for certain she's never felt to such a strong degree before in her life—_fear_.

She pushes away from the tan-skinned man almost instantly. Now once again in control of her full faculties, she wills herself to maintain her composure…and her cover.

"Is something the matter?" he asks, moving towards her. "I am sorry if I startled you…I could not help myself."

"Startled?" she repeats the word humorously. "Not a chance." Kensi chuckles lightly. "I do have rules though." She tells him in a low voice. "If you want what I have to offer…you're gonna have to work for it. Understand? I'm _not that easy._"

A small smile begins to play across Diego's face. This time though there is no fire in his eyes—only darkness. "You should understand something as well." He says in a low voice. "I do love a good challenge." He adds with a sneer. "And I always play for keeps."

The way his eyes seem to burn into her now sends a shiver down her spine, and she hopes like hell that it doesn't show.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the delay in updating this story. Work and School have been particularly stressful these last two weeks, and I've also been fighting illness on top of that. That said, I hope that you guys found this latest installment well worth the wait, and I hope to have more updates for both of my stories ASAP. I will be trying to balance this with my work load from school over the next week or so though, so please be patient with me—I promise you won't be disappointed by the next set of updates.**

**P.S. I hope you guys (and your families) have a wonderful (and safe) Thanksgiving, and that afterward you will rejoin me for more of this exciting thrill ride. **

**Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!**


	4. Chp 4 (mild M-rated material)

**Author's Note: Okay, so I know that this chapter is actually more 'fluff' than anything else, but we need a little bit of 'fluff' every now and then…right? Anyway, I promise that the next few chapters will be much more exciting and totally worth the wait. Trust me :)  
**

**Author's Note 2: Also, remember feedback is the lifeblood of any good writer, and I always look forward to hearing from my loyal readers. That said…Enjoy :)  
**

**P.S. I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday :)**

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 4

He knows something is wrong. He can always tell when something is bothering her, and this time is no exception. Kensi was silent the whole drive back to the safe house after they left the club, and then when they finally got inside she went and immediately locked herself in the bathroom.

He's listened from his perch on the bed, and knows that she's at least had a shower while she's been in the bathroom. He has also resisted the urge to just kick in the door, and confront her. He knows that it wouldn't work out anyway. You don't press Kensi Blye for information (not in situations like these), no instead you wait patiently for her to come to you.

Deeks finds himself thinking back to what he had seen earlier at the club. He had been looking for Kensi, and he had found her-though what he saw then made him feel even more uneasy about their assignment.

_He spots her. She and Diego are standing just across the dance floor. It looks as though he's about to kiss her. He stops short when he hears the team leader's voice in his ear via earwig._

"_Deeks, wait." Callen says calmly. "Let's see what she does."_

_Deeks finds this extremely hard to do. Especially when he knows full well what this guy is capable of._

_Suddenly Kensi jumps back away from Diego. Deeks can tell from her body language immediately afterward that she's in distress, but then just as quickly she appears to return to normal._

_Deeks tries to move forward once again, but as usual Callen stops him before he gets too far. _

"_Let it play out Deeks." The team leaders voice comes through over the radio piece in Deeks' ear._

"_I can't." Deeks whispers out of the corner of his mouth. "You saw the same thing I did. He did something she didn't like…so by default, I don't like it either." Deeks argues quietly._

"_I know this is hard for you, but let her be." Callen tells him. "Don't worry, if he tries something again…we'll step in, but not until then."_

_Deeks' heart thunders wildly in his chest. He can't stand this waiting on the sidelines deal, but he knows that Callen is right. Still, watching his partner (and lover) operate in a dangerous position sets him on edge every time._

The sound of the bathroom door finally opening pulls Deeks from his thoughts. He looks up and sees Kensi standing in the doorway looking back at him. She's dressed in the pajamas that she usually wears to sleep at night, and her hair has obviously been blown dry.

"What?" he asks quietly.

She walks across the carpet, and climbs up onto the bed with the shaggy-haired man. She kneels on her knees in front of him, and looks deep into his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. The kiss that she shared with Diego Espinoza earlier still runs through her mind, and then the way he'd looked at her afterward—she still shivers just thinking about it.

"Fern?" Deeks says, a little bit confused by what his girl his doing.

"Deeks, do you remember our first kiss?" Kensi asks slowly.

"I do." He replies.

Kensi nods as she thinks back over the plan that she has been formulating in her mind for the last several minutes. "This is gonna sound crazy, but I need you to kiss me—just like that."

Deeks searches her eyes for answers, but finds only confusion there. He knows better than to push her when she's like this. When she's ready to talk—she will. He just has to be patient with her.

"Please, I just need this." She pleads quietly.

Deeks nods as he reaches out for Kensi. "Whatever you need princess." He whispers, as he pulls her close.

Their lips meet in a deep, passionate kiss. Kensi lays a hand against her lovers' cheek seemingly losing herself in the contact. After a few seconds she uses her other hand to push Deeks over onto his back where she comes to rest straddling his hips, still lost in their passionate exchange.

The contact between them is like a tiny spark waiting to ignite an uncontrollable wild fire. She feels it first bubbling low in her belly. That heat slowly builds, and radiates through her core until it becomes an intense burning sensation that threatens to completely overwhelm her. "I am so turned on right now." She moans with a tiny smirk.

Deeks chuckles at the sexy brunette. "You heard what Hetty said," he reminds her, as he tries to push himself up onto his arms. "We have to maintain our cover…even here." He adds with a grunt as Kensi forces him back down.

Kensi steals another quick kiss. "Who's gonna know?" she says as she gently rocks her hips rhythmically against his. "Besides, you know you want this." She whispers in a low, seductive voice as she closes her eyes to the sensations building within her own body.

The heat from her core slowly spreads through the fabric of her clothes, and into Deeks. Within seconds his body begins to slowly respond to hers, and he soon finds himself fighting a losing battle against the most primal of urges.

Kensi gasps suddenly as she feels him growing beneath her. The sensation only intensifies what she is already feeling, and threatens to completely undo her right then and there.

_Ah, to hell with it._ He shifts his body slightly until he finds just the right amount of leverage, and then without any warning at all he suddenly grasps her arms and forces her upwards. He then flips Kensi onto her back, and brings himself to hover just inches above her—all with the flourish of an expert. She tries to pull away, but Deeks keeps her arms pinned firmly over her head.

She struggles against his firm grip, panting breathlessly, as she stares up into his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. There are only mere inches between their points of heat, and this distance is just enough to drive Kensi crazy with want.

"Instigator." He says with a smirk, as he looks her over.

"Please...I need this." She begs, as she arches her body upwards desperate for more contact.

He chuckles at her feeble attempts to fight back, and holds himself so that his heat is just out of reach of her own. He can see in her eyes that the lack of contact is absolutely killing her. Whatever she was feeling before, this must be her way of dealing with it.

Deeks bends his head low and lets his lips connect again with hers. As expected, Kensi immediately tries to use this to regain lost ground. But it is too no avail, as Deeks clearly has the advantage either way.

"You know the penalty, Fern." He whispers, his voice sounding thick and husky in her ear. "I hope you're ready to play hardball." He watches her swallowing nervously beneath him.

The point of this little game is deceptively simple. Deeks will use every trick in his arsenal to keep Kensi on edge for as long as humanly bearable. No matter how hard she fights, or how much she begs—he will not give in. Then as the two of them teeter just on the brink of oblivion he will finally acquiesce. The end result of this tumultuous dance is a blinding explosion of sheer ecstasy that will leave them both spent and utterly satisfied beyond all comprehension.

For Deeks the opportunity to participate in such a thing is nothing short of an absolute honor in his book. The way that Kensi seems to trust him so completely is something that touches him in the very deepest part of his heart, and makes him want to give her everything he has time and time again.

* * *

Kensi lies snuggled against her lover's muscular chest utterly exhausted from their raucous romp together. Her vitals have long since returned to normal, and her breathing is rhythmically even.

Deeks runs his hand in gentle, back-and-forth strokes over the delicate, tanned skin of her back. She looks so beautiful this way, and he can't help hoping that this little escapade was exactly what she needed after the night she'd had. He cranes his neck, and plants a gentle kiss against the top of her head.

"Goodnight princess." He whispers softly. He carefully pulls the top sheet up over their naked bodies until it reaches the point just below her shoulders. Sleep will come for him soon enough, just as it had for her, but until then he'll be content just lying here listening to the steady pulse of her heart beating in time with his own.

* * *

The next morning brings sunshine and happiness to the couple as they awaken, and set about their respective morning routines. Kensi is certainly in a much better mood than she had been the previous night, and for that Deeks is eternally grateful.

When the sexy brunette strolls into the kitchen all clean and dressed up for a day out, Deeks can't help but let go of a whistle in her direction. "Nice." He says with a smile, turning away from the breakfast bagel in front of him.

Kensi does a quick twirl to show off the full extent of her outfit. She's proud of it, and it is one of the few outfits that she actually feels good in. She runs her hands through her hair ruffling the bouncy curls she put in it earlier.

"You like it?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips.

"I love it." He replies with a chuckle. "It's like a whole new you—and you seem to be in awfully good spirits this morning."

Kensi chuckles delightedly. "Thanks. I know…I feel great." She tells him. "Thanks, for last night, I mean." She adds, a little more timidly than before. "It was just what I needed."

"Anytime." He says, with a nod. Then he reaches for the folded newspaper lying on the counter beside him. "By the way, Sis, I found an article in the morning paper you might like." He says with a wink, as he passes the paper to Kensi.

She gets the message just as Deeks knew that she would. She opens the paper to the article indicated. The tiny, black letters have been written over with a red marker. _Spoke with Hetty. Surveillance for your date has been taken care of. Your rental car is out front. Please be careful._ These are the words that Deeks scribbled out in big, bold red lettering across the page.

Kensi folds the paper back up once more, and hands it back to Deeks. "A shoe sale. You know I love a new pair of shoes…or three." She teases, with a smile. The two of them work so well together, especially undercover like this—it adds a whole different level of excitement to the assignment.

"I think I'm gonna need a little more money for the day." She tells him as she walks to the refrigerator. She opens the door then, and retrieves a chocolate slim-fast shake from within the cold storage container.

"Already taken care of Sis." Deeks says, with a smile. "Try not to blow through it so quickly this time, hmm." He adds.

Kensi walks back over to Deeks, and wraps her arms around him. "You're the best big brother ever." She tells him, as she gives him a slight squeeze. "Not to mention extremely gifted in bed." She adds, whispering the words quietly into his ear. She is referring of course to their little 'escapade' the night before.

Deeks pulls her down to his level, and plants a gentle kiss on top of her head. "Anything for my baby Sis." He says softly. Kensi feigns embarrassment and pulls away from Deeks.

Kensi glances down at her wristwatch, and notices the time. "Oh drat, I'm gonna be late. Diego's taking me out to lunch somewhere special later, but first we're headed down into the valley." She tells her partner.

"Sounds exciting." Deeks says, giving her a thumbs-up. "Have fun." He adds as he watches her collect her purse, the keys to her rental car, and her sunglasses from the end of the kitchen counter.

"Have fun working." She calls back as she finally walks out the front door.

Deeks smiles as he listens to the car door opening, and then closing after she's climbed inside the vehicle. Next comes the sound of the engine starting up, and then the car backing out of the driveway.

Several minutes later Deeks' cell phone begins to ring. Deeks leaves the last bite of his breakfast bagel, and walks out to the dining room table where he left his cell phone the night before.

He picks up the electronic device, and reads off the Caller ID. It's Callen. Deeks presses the green button, and then holds the phone to his ear. "Talk to me. Yeah, she just left. Alright, I'm on my way."

A few seconds later he hangs up the phone, and then shoves the device down into his jeans pocket. Now to grab the last bite of that bagel, and then he can be on his way to OSP to meet with Callen and Sam.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Hey again, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am planning to do a Densi 'Christmas Special' sometime in the next few weeks or so—so be on the lookout for that. I promise it will be soo worth the read. **

**Thanks Again, **


	5. Chp 5

**Author's Note: Just wanted to quickly clarify that this is in fact a work of fiction, and as such it will contain some made-up locations and things of that nature. That said, Enjoy :)**

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 5

Deeks pulls the sleek, blue sports car (his cover identity's vehicle) into a vacant parking spot in the lot just outside OSP. He puts the car in park, unbuckles the seatbelt, and then slides out of said car. The bright sun overhead beats down against his back as he heads towards the front door.

His mind is still on Kensi at this point, and no matter how hard he tries he just can't stop worrying about her. He knows that she can take care of herself, but this assignment is different than any they've faced before—that alone makes him particularly nervous.

Inside the Mission Callen and Sam are waiting near the bullpen, deeply engaged in some random, altogether meaningless conversation. The partners look up though upon hearing the shaggy-haired man enter the building. Little does the liaison officer realize his teammates are privy to a certain secret pertaining to himself and a particular sexy brunette.

"There he is." Callen says, motioning with his head towards the LAPD Detective. "You're late." He then calls to the liaison officer.

"I'll have you know, traffic on the freeway at this time of morning is murder." Deeks retorts. "Yeah, I nearly got run off the road by someone's grandmother."

Sam turns around, and a big smile crosses his face, as he looks the shaggy-haired man over with his eyes. "Get enough sleep last night, Shaggy?" the muscular man asks.

"I did actually. Thanks for asking Sam." Deeks replies, with a grin at the ex-Navy Seal.

"And Kensi?" Callen asks, trying his best to suppress a fit of laughter that is currently threatening to burst forth from within.

"Like a baby I 'm sure." Deeks replies, his expression now changing to one of slight suspicion. "Why do you ask?" he asks slowly.

"No reason." Sam replies for his partner, turning his head to one side so that Deeks won't see his immensely amused expression.

Deeks eyes the two elder men, and can't help but feel like he's the butt-end of some lame ass joke. It kind of feels like one of those 'inside' jokes that you have to be in on, in order to understand; and he, of course, is obviously not in on this particular joke.

"You guys sure are in a good mood today." Deeks muses aloud as he studies the two men. "Wait, I'm not dreaming am I—cause if I am, there should be waves and beautiful women…not you two." He says jokingly.

"Nah, we're just messing with you." Sam says, and at the same time throws a wink in his partner's direction.

"Okay, I guess." Deeks replies. He still can't help but feel as though the two elder agents know something that he doesn't, but he eventually shakes it off dismissively.

Eric appears suddenly at the top of the stairs, and gives a loud whistle. This sound immediately draws the attention of each of the three men down below. They all look up in anticipation of what the tech analyst has to say.

"Everything's up." He tells. "I'm ready whenever you guys are ready." He adds, before turning on his heel and heading back into Ops.

Callen looks at Sam and Deeks. "Guess that's our cue to get to work." He tells them.

* * *

Callen, Sam, and Deeks enter the Ops Centre one right after the other, and find Eric sitting at his terminal alone—no Nell anywhere. The others don't seem to notice, but Deeks does and to him it seems a bit odd for Nell to not be present here.

"Where's Nell?" Deeks asks, curiously, looking around to make sure he hasn't just missed her by mistake.

"She's out for the day." Eric replies.

Callen turns to Deeks. "Yeah, she's following Kensi."

"Oh, so she's the-" Deeks says, finally realizing what Hetty had meant by 'the surveillance has been taken care of' when they'd talked on the phone earlier in the morning. "I knew Hetty said something about surveillance when we spoke earlier, but she never actually mentioned who would be doing it."

"Anyway," Sam says, clearing his throat to get their attention back on what they were supposed to be doing. "So, this is everything you could find on the Espinoza's and NewTech?" he asks as he leans over the central terminal at the center of the room.

"Yep." Eric replies. "It wasn't easy either." He adds.

Callen approaches his partner, and together the two men begin pouring over all of the data that Eric collected for them.

"Hey, Eric, did you have time to do that thing I asked you to do?" Deeks asks, looking over the guys at the tech analyst.

"Sure did." Eric replies, punching a few keys on his keyboard. Suddenly the view on the plasma screen becomes a split view. One on side is all the data that Callen and Sam are looking over, and on the opposite side is a new file marked 'Deeks'.

"Can you open it for me?" Deeks asks, as he steps around for a closer look at the plasma screen. The sound of fingers against a keyboard is soon followed by the appearance several documents of various types displayed across his side of the screen.

"There you go."

"Thanks Eric."

Callen looks up then and notices what Deeks is looking at. It is not the same thing that he and Sam are looking at. He recognizes it as being Maria Chavez's case file. "Deeks, care to fill us in?"

"Oh, sorry. Just a hunch." He tells his teammates, and it's only partially a lie so he figures there should be no harm to it.

"Okay." Callen says, not quite sure he believes the shaggy-haired man. "Just make sure you keep us in the loop, alright?"

"Will do chief." Deeks quips, as he turns his attention back to the plasma screen.

* * *

Nell is sitting at a table just outside a little, rather upscale café called _The Seven Palms Café_.

Its lunchtime, and she's carefully nibbling on a salad, and at the same time using the same care to keep an eye on the laughing couple just three tables ahead of hers. They are all three dining outside the café on the terrace, which comes with a rather breathtaking view. The café itself holds the appearance of wealth, and this idea is reinforced by the very ornate pieces that decorate its walls—both inside and out.

She's been tailing the pair for the last 3 hours, and so far hasn't seen anything suspicious. Nevertheless, her job here is to be vigilant no matter what—and that's what she intends to do. She shifts her position on her seat to allow the button cam Eric installed in her blouse a better view of her targets.

Kensi laughs, apparently at some joke that Diego has just finished telling. No longer does she feel the creeping sensation of fear as she had the night before at the club. The only thing she really feels now as she looks upon the tan-skinned man is anger. Anger that burns through her veins white and hot, and threatening to completely overwhelm her as she stares at the smug smile painted across his face.

_She was like family to Deeks, and _You_ took her from him. You hurt him. _

She reminds herself silently of the reason she is doing this. It's not just because the Secretary of the Navy thinks Diego Espinoza might be part of a bigger threat to National Security, but because she wants to see that justice is done for Maria—as well as hopefully giving Deeks some closer.

_When you hurt the one I love—you answer to me._

"I do like a man with a healthy sense of humor." Kensi says, feigning amusement. What she really wants though is to strangle the guy, and get it over with. However, she also knows that they need him alive in order to be able to complete their overall mission.

"Would you like a refill for your drink?" Diego asks, eying her nearly empty glass.

Kensi nods. "That would be lovely." She replies with a smile.

Diego raises his hand in the air and snaps his fingers a couple of times. Finally a man in an apron approaches the table, and gives a slight bow of his head in apology for taking so long. "Yes sir? What can I do for you?"

"Yes, the lady would like a refill." He tells the man as he hands Kensi's glass over.

The man takes the glass from Diego. "Tea?"

Kensi nods. "Yes, please?"

The man nods once again, and then hurries off to refill the glass with some more iced tea.

"So, tell me," Kensi begins, folding her hands underneath her chin for support as she rests her elbows against the tabletop. "What's this _big_ surprise you keep hinting at?" she asks, eying him suspiciously.

Diego gives a hearty laugh at the tanned beauty. "If I told you…it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" he counters with a smirk.

"No, I guess it wouldn't." she replies with a grin. She tilts her head to one side for a brief moment, and appears thoughtful. "Oh, I know, you haven't said anything about what line of work you're in." she says pointedly. "I mean, that is the purpose of a date—isn't it? I mean, to get to know a person better before moving on to _other_ things?"

Diego shifts in his seat a little bit. "Point taken." Diego replies with a grin. He appears to think over his next words very carefully before speaking them. "Well, let's just say I have my hands in a lot of different cookie jars, so to speak." He tells her, with one of those 'if you only knew' kind of looks.

Kensi feigns a sigh at his words. "Sounds like Isaac—my brother. He's always traveling and looking into new, 'exciting' business ventures. Sometimes I wish he would just slow down, and take the time to really enjoy life…you know what I mean?"

"Indeed. People today get so caught up in the trivial and materialistic aspects of life—that they have no time to stop and smell the roses, as they say." Diego muses. "Those people don't realize, nor could they ever I imagine, just how much more there is too this life."

Kensi nods quietly.

"But, rest assured. I always make time for the important things in life." He says, with a gentle smile.

She's almost positive that his smile is as fake as the rest of him. But she is careful not to let on the fact that she is not buying his act for one solitary minute. As she sits here quietly, ultimately wishing she were anywhere else but here, she can't help but wonder what Deeks and the others are up to at this very moment.

* * *

Hetty finally enters the Ops Centre to check up on her agents who appear to be working very diligently on the task at hand. She stands just inside the doorway looking on at her team, which is currently missing two key members at the moment, and can't help but feel a sense of pride in her team. _Her team._

"I trust you are all making some sort of headway in the case?" Hetty says, finally speaking up as she strolls towards the center of the room.

Everyone looks up at the sound of the operations manager's voice. "Hey Hetty." Callen says, with a nod in her direction. "Yeah, actually—Sam and I were just about to pay a visit to the Newtech offices." He reports in a very casual way.

"We're hoping to catch Sawyer off guard. If he is hiding something, it shouldn't be too hard to detect." Sam adds, elaborating more, for the tiny woman, on his partner's plan.

"I see." Hetty replies, with a nod. "And, will Mr. Deeks be joining you for this excursion?" she asks curiously.

"No ma'am." Deeks says, as he finally turns to face her. "I've got a lead of my own that I'd like to run down…if that's okay."

Hetty eyes her liaison officer warily as she silently considers his proposal. She knows just by the look in his eyes that there is something he's not telling her, but what she cannot as of yet ascertain. Still, she does trust him though, and so ultimately she decides to allow him the room to 'do his thing'—as it were.

"You will keep us informed of your progress, I assume."

Deeks nods at the tiny woman. "Of course. Every step of the way." He assures her. What Hetty and the others cannot see, however, is that he is holding one hand just out of view, behind his back, with his fingers crossed. He hates to do it this way, but he can't be sure what he'll find, or if he'll even find anything at all—either way, he feels it best to play this one safe and close to his chest for now.

"Very well," Hetty says, with a wave of her hand towards the three men. "Carry on, but please, do be careful." She adds sincerely.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: So, I hope that you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. I know it's not much, but I find that if I try to write too much, too quickly, then it almost never ends well. That said, just as a heads up, I should have the next chapter update for **_Partners_**, and **_Memories_**, as well as the premiere of my latest project—**_Uncertain _**posted real soon. I encourage all of you to take the time to check out each of these, and also to be on the lookout for my upcoming Christmas one-shot featuring everyone's favorite L.A. couple, Densi (You gotta love those two nuts hahaha). Oh, and don't forget to drop me a line, and let me know what you guys think so far, and if you have any questions those are always welcome too. **

**Until next time, Enjoy! **


	6. Chp 6

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is one of those chapters that just 'needs to be', as they say, so just bare with me please. I promise the next chapter will have some good Densi scenes in it. **** Enjoy**

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 6

A slight breeze blows through the trees that dot the yards in the small neighborhood. It is a quaint looking little place, and has a very 'family friendly' feel about it. Still, the tranquil ambience that seems to hang over the area does little to quell the uneasiness that Deeks feels as he rolls his Chevy Malibu slowly down the single street that runs through the neighborhood. To be honest he isn't even sure why he's here, or why it seemed like such a good idea to come in the first place.

He glances over the numbers glued to each mailbox as he passes by. 222…224…226… They all fall in a sequential pattern, with all of the odd numbers situated on the left side of the street, and the even ones on the right side. There is one in particular that he is interested in finding though, and if the directions he got from Maria's case file are correct—it should be close.

The numbers 228 finally appear on a mailbox right before his eyes, and as he looks beyond to the house that the mailbox belongs to a lump forms in his throat. He steels his nerves finally, and then guides the car into the driveway.

He puts his Chevy Malibu into park, and unbuckles his seatbelt. He wills himself to exit the car, where he stands staring at the small, brick house just before him. The outside appears well kept, and the tiny front lawn looks as though it were just recently cut. Deeks knows full well that in their line-of-work maintaining a home as well as this one appears to have been, is not an easy task. Yet, he also remembers that Maria was a hard worker, always had been, and because of that, somehow he's not surprised by what he sees so far.

_Not bad._

He reaches into his jeans pocket, and pulls out the house key he'd gotten while picking up Maria's personal effects down at the police station a couple of days earlier. He slides the key into the lock, and gives it a turn until he hears the click at the end. Before stepping inside the house he inhales a deep breath, and then lets it out to stead himself once more.

* * *

The inside of the house is nearly the same as the outside—clean and well organized. He stands just inside the door letting his eyes wander over the living room area first. He sees a nice sofa, a love seat, a coffee table, a rather old-looking television set, and a single lounge chair. There is a bookshelf just to the right of the front door, but its shelves are lined with more than just books.

Among the assortment of old and new books, are a collection of framed photographs as well. Some of the photographs he recognizes, and some not so much. However, they do say a lot about their previous owner. It is only now as he moves to examine the photos more closely that he finally closes the front door.

The first photograph that his eyes fall upon is one of the very first of he and Maria together. He easily recalls when it was taken and how happy she had been that day, even though it had only been just a month since she'd lost her Mother. He had picked her up from the foster home she was staying at early that morning, and the two of them had set out together for a whole day of fun and excitement. It was his way of helping her cope then.

"_Come on, please." The longhaired little girl begs, feigning a pout. "Pretty please."_

"_It's late, and the Robinson's are gonna be worried." Deeks argues lightly, barely able to keep from laughing at the young girl._

"_Take one picture with me, and then I'll let you take me home." She proposes, with a stern expression._

_Deeks is silent, and obviously deep in thought at this point. Finally he lets out a sigh of surrender. "Okay, just one—then we head home." He says, the lightness in his voice indicative of the mischievous grin obviously painted across his face._

"_Thank you." She exclaims whole-heartedly, as the sound of arms wrapping around each other fills the air. _

"_You're welcome kiddo." He replies quietly and sweetly. "Now whaddya say we take that picture, Hmm?"_

Deeks shakes his head dismissing the voices inside, and brings himself back to the present. He swipes a hand at the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, as he sets the photograph he's holding back onto the shelf. Every photograph stationed before him holds a different memory, and not just for him. For both of them.

_I miss you kiddo_.

* * *

Callen and Sam are riding in the latter's black, Dodge Charger, as they usually do, and the topic of discussion between the partners, at this point, mostly concerns their liaison officer—Marty Deeks. Callen points out the passenger's side window to a side street on his right, momentarily distracting from the conversation. However, the action is quite necessary, as Sam would otherwise miss the turn completely.

"Right here." Callen remarks, pointing to the nearly invisible side street.

"I see it, G." Sam replies, with a sigh. The ex-Navy Seal indicates the upcoming turn, and then easily guides the Charger off of the main road and onto the side street. It isn't long before their desired destination becomes visible to the two.

"So you don't think it's strange at all?" Sam questions his partner, reinitiating their earlier conversation. As he speaks his gaze wanders, through the windshield, over the towering structure looming directly ahead of them. It is an architectural wonder to be sure, and certainly has the effect of drawing one's eye to its presence—no matter the angle of view.

"You mean about Deeks?" Callen asks, brow arched, making sure that he and Sam are on the same page before continuing.

"Yeah."

Callen shrugs his shoulders at his partner. "I don't know what I think, honestly. Hetty trusts him though, obviously, and we trust Hetty." The team leader lets his own eyes wander over the impressive structure growing closer and closer, and seems to take it all in.

"True." Sam replies, in quiet agreement.

"Looks like you can park here, Sam." Callen tells his partner, gesturing lightly to his right once more.

Sam only nods, and expertly maneuvers his car around the next corner into the large, open parking lot that sits at the foot of the NewTech building. He chooses a parking spot towards the back end of the lot eliminating the possibility of his car suffering unnecessary dents and dings.

"Seriously?" Callen says, arching a brow towards Sam, amused by his partner's choice of parking spot. "You're gonna park way out here?"

Sam turns to his partner mid-way through unbuckling his seatbelt. "My car is in perfect condition—inside and out." He tells Callen. "I'd like to keep it that way, G."

Callen grins in amusement. "You're paranoid, Sam. No one's gonna hit your car, and besides, if they do…it's insured." He says, as he opens his car door and begins to step out.

Sam follows suit, exiting the Challenger, and then glancing over the top of the car at his partner. "Insured or not, it's called being cautious. There's a difference."

Callen chuckles. "Practicing safe driving habits—that's being cautious. Parking a mile away from civilization to avoid door dings, is called being paranoid."

"Yeah, whatever." Sam snorts, and tries to stifle the laugh that threatens to escape from within.

Callen grows serious then, and nods towards the building that they will soon be walking into. This is where the footwork begins for this case, and he knows that their success hinges on whether or not they play this right.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Callen asks, as he walks around to his partner's side.

Sam appears thoughtful for a few seconds before finally answering the question posed by his partner. "Business offer." He says simply.

Callen nods in agreement. "Works for me. Who get's to be top banana?"

Sam flashes a mischievous smirk. "Suppose I don't feel like talking, being as you insulted my choice of parking spot and called me paranoid."

Callen nods, and muffles a chuckle. "Alright, I get it. You'll be the 'strong, silent type'." The team leader says, with a look at his partner. "And I'll be-"

Sam cuts in before Callen can finish his sentence. "The 'hot shot, big mouth'" Sam finishes, with a grin.

"I was gonna say 'top banana', but yours is good too." Callen remarks, as he and Sam finally begin their walk towards the enormous building on the other side of the parking lot.

* * *

Sam and Callen step through the glass double doors marking the entrance to the NewTech building. They stand in silence taking in the area surrounding them. The main lobby is immense in size, and gives off an air of wealth and power.

"Nice place." Sam comments, as he lets his eyes wander a bit.

"Nah, I've seen better." Callen remarks. The team leader's eyes are drawn from the spectacle of the room itself to a slender, sharply dressed young blond quickly approaching from the right. "Heads up." He adds, from the corner of his mouth.

"Hi, I'm Leslie Messer." The young woman introduces herself with a gracious smile. She shakes hands with both Callen and Sam, and nods as the two men introduce themselves in return. "Welcome to NewTech."

"Al Harris." Callen says enthusiastically, with a big smile, as he shakes hands with the young woman. "Nice to meet you."

The young woman gives a slight chuckle at Callen's upbeat attitude. "And you are?" she asks, turning her attention to Sam next.

"Uh, sorry." Callen answers for his partner. "This is my associate, Terrence King." Callen says, introducing the muscular, black man.

"Oh." Leslie says, shaking Sam's hand.

"Yeah…He doesn't talk much." Callen says, lowering his voice as if it were something his partner wanted kept quiet.

"Oh, okay…I see." Leslie says, with a soft smile as she pats Sam gently on the forearm. "So, what can I do for you gentlemen?" she asks finally.

Callen rubs his hands together anxiously as he quickly puts together the rest of their temporary cover story—something he usually would have done on the way, or at least on the way inside. "As a matter of fact, my friend and I are supposed to be meeting with Mr. Sawyer today to discuss a new project." Callen explains evenly.

Unexpectedly, a frown suddenly creases the young woman's features. For a few moments she appears to be deep in thought, and neither Callen nor Sam are able to really make anything of it.

"That's…odd." The young woman says at last. "He didn't mention any meetings today."

"Hmm, are-are you sure?" Callen asks, as he works through, in his mind, how best to proceed at this point.

"Well, I mean he's not even in today." She replies, looking down at the tablet in her hands. She runs her fingers over the screen and appears to search through some files for a moment. "His planner shows his last meeting was three days ago, and he hasn't been in since." She says at last.

"Oh, well, maybe something just came up then." Callen tries quickly. "Things happen you know."

"I really am sorry." The young woman apologizes genuinely. "I hate to think you drove out here for nothing." She adds.

"No, no. It's fine." Callen says, waving his hand lightly. "Tell you what, it's no problem. We'll just check in with Mr. Sawyer later. I'm sure this whole thing will work itself out." He says, flashing a reassuring smile at the young woman.

"Alright then." She says at last. "Well, I hope you gentlemen have a nice day then."

"Thanks, you too." Callen replies as he and Sam turn to exit the building.

* * *

Callen and Sam step outside into the bright sunlight, and begin their journey back towards the Charger parked on the other side of the parking lot. Callen pulls out his cell phone, as soon as he's sure they're clear of the building.

"You alright G?" Sam asks, as he watches his partner select the speed dial option for OSP on his cell phone.

"I don't know, we'll see." Callen replies, as he holds the phone to his ear. It rings once…twice…and then finally on the third ring the tech analyst finally answers.

"_Hey, how did the visit to NewTech go?" Eric asks._

"Not great." Callen replies. "Listen, Eric, I need you to look up Paul Sawyer's home address, and send it to my phone. Can you do that?"

"_Not a problem." Eric replies, as the sound of fingers dancing across a keyboard becomes audible over the phone. "Anything I should tell Hetty?"_

"Not yet." Callen tells the tech analyst.

"_Roger that. I'll have that address to your phone in a jiffy." He tells the team leader cheerfully._

Sam has overheard the conversation between his partner and the tech analyst, Eric Beale, and the last little bit makes him let out a low chuckle.

Callen finally hangs up the phone, and shoves the device back into his back pocket once more. "What?" he asks curiously, noticing the look of amusement spread across Sam's face.

"Nothing." Sam replies quietly, still unable to hide the grin.

"Right. Spill it partner." He says sternly.

"Eric said 'jiffy'." Sam finally admits.

Callen lets out a soft chuckle of his own in agreement with his partner. "Yeah. Who does that, right?"

"Eric, apparently." Sam points out.

* * *

Deeks has slowly made his way through the house examining each individual room along the way. He isn't sure exactly what he's looking for, but his gut keeps pushing him forward seemingly without reason. As he moves through the neatly kept home, he finds himself remembering all the 'training sessions' he'd done with Maria.

She had come to him just after joining the police academy seeking advice. That then turned into full-blown training sessions in no time at all. In a sense, he had taught her everything she knew about being a cop. And she turned out to be a damn fine cop in his eyes.

It is only after he finally passes through the doorway into the master bedroom that one thing in particular becomes absolutely clear to him.

_This case has me turned all around. I mean, I can barely even think straight right now. There's no way I can hope to do this right. What was I thinking?_

The sound of his cell phone ringing catches his attention, and quickly brings him back to reality. He digs the phone out of his jeans pocket, presses the 'answer' key, and then holds it up to his ear.

"Hello."

"_Hey, it's me." _Comes the familiar voice of his favorite brunette beauty.

Deeks isn't sure if she's still with Diego or not, but feels like it would be better to be safe than sorry. "Hey, Sis. Havin' fun?"

"_Why yes, as a matter of fact I am." _She replies, with that girlish giggle only her cover identity would use.

"Good to hear." Deeks says, trying to sound more upbeat than he feels.

"_Well, the reason I called is to let you know that Diego and I are planning to stay out for dinner this evening. If that's okay, of course?"_

"Oh, no. Go right ahead. Don't let me spoil your fun in the sun, princess." Deeks replies, feigning a joking tone.

"_Aw, thanks. You're the best big brother ever." _

"And you're the best little Sis ever." Deeks replies. "Just be careful, okay." He adds, a little more seriously.

Kensi giggles again._ "Don't worry. I will."_

A CLICK sound, a few seconds later, indicates that she has hung up on him. He lowers his cell phone and stares down at the screen for the longest time afterward. Kensi's words echo in his head, and for some reason a distant memory resurfaces at the forefront of his mind.

"_Okay. Okay." The young new officer says with a chuckle. She and Deeks stand together outside a bar somewhere in L.A. The young woman has just graduated from Police Academy, and she and her 'older brother' have been out doing a bit of celebrating._

"_I'm sorry." Deeks replies, running a hand through his blond locks. "It's just…I want you to be safe." He adds quietly._

"_Hey, don't worry about me. I learned from the best, remember?" she says, with a wink._

"_Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's true." He says with a shrug._

Deeks pulls himself from the haze of memory, and a tiny smile begins to spread across his lips as he shoves the cell phone back into his jeans pocket. He laughs to himself then, and can't believe that he didn't see it before.

_You did learn. _He thinks to himself, as he makes a quick beeline for the adjacent Master Bathroom. He now knows for sure that that is where he'll find what he's looking for.

* * *

Callen and Sam approach the front door of Paul Sawyer's beachside condo almost as casually as two men could possibly manage. Neither one is aware of what awaits them inside the home.

"Next time, Sam, I'm driving." Callen says as the two men approach the end of the front walk.

"My car?" Sam questions, arching a brow and pointing a finger back towards himself. "Not a chance, G."

"Why not? I'm a good driver." Callen protests.

"Yeah…on the moon you would be a good driver." Sam jokes.

"Hey, I'm not the one who just drove in circles for two hours trying to find this place." Callen says pointedly.

"Whatev-" Sam starts to reply, but his eyes soon fall upon the condo's front door—it's been left slightly ajar. "G, look." Sam says, his voice falling very serious as he immediately reaches for his sidearm.

Callen brings his own weapon around to his front, and holds it in a ready position. "Guess we're not his first visitors today." Callen says, eying the opening in the heavy door.

"Guess not."

"Okay, on three." Callen says, with a glance at his partner. "One…Two…"

"Three!" Sam grunts as he lunges forward knocking the door open the rest of the way. He enters the residence first, with Callen directly behind him.

* * *

The pair quickly moves from room to room in the two-story home, clearing the house in a very efficient manner. Callen finally makes his way, after a few minutes, into a spacious lounge area at the end of the house that actually faces the beach.

He enters the room slowly, doing his usual sweep for hostiles, and finding no one around finally lowers his weapon. "All clear!" he calls to his partner. "He's not here Sa-"

Something in the far corner of the room catches his eye, and distracts him from his previous statement. He moves in the direction of the object that caught his eye and upon arriving at the expensive looking recliner, which is facing a window that overlooks the sandy seashore below, he finds the lifeless body of Paul Sawyer propped up in the seat.

"Sam! I found Sawyer!" Callen calls to his partner.

Sam enters the room a few seconds later and joins Callen. "He give you any trouble?" the muscular black man asks as he walks up behind his partner.

"No, not really." Callen replies. "He's dead." He looks up at his partner, who at this point has seen the body for himself, and gives him a 'I have a bad feeling about this' kind of look.

…TBC…


	7. Chp 7

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 7

"I'm not even gonna ask." Callen says, as his eyes roll over the massive assortment of new data spread out across the huge plasma screen in the Ops Centre.

Near the end of his trip to Maria's house Deeks had had a light bulb moment of sorts. His hunch thereafter paid off quite nicely in the form of a second encrypted flash drive hidden within a small jewelry box, which he'd found stashed inside a secret alcove built into Maria's master bathroom.

After making the discovery he immediately brought the flash drive back to OSP so that Eric could try to decrypt it. Unfortunately he had quite the time accomplishing this task, as none of the decryption programs seemed able to crack the code. That is until Deeks, using the same logic that led him to the flash drive in the first place, came across the answer to the decryption problem.

"We found a dead body, and you found all this." Sam muses aloud, the slight amusement evident in his voice. "I'll be damned."

Deeks stands just behind Callen and Sam with his arms folded across his chest. He isn't quite sure how he feels about his recent accomplishment, but nevertheless he will put on his best 'Deeks' performance for the benefit of his teammates.

"I've got to be honest—it wasn't that difficult." Deeks remarks. "I mean, seriously, any one with half a brain could've figured it out."

Sam and Callen share a look of amusement with one another. "Certainly explains how _you_ figured it out." Callen remarks cheekily, while grinning at his partner.

"Don't be a hater now, it's okay to be jealous."

"What exactly are we supposed to be jealous _of_?" Sam asks, looking over his shoulder at the shaggy-haired man.

"My mad Detective skills of course." Deeks replies, with a huge dopey grin.

"Tell me something Sam—are you jealous of Deeks in any way?' Callen asks, looking towards his partner with an amused expression still coloring his features.

Sam shakes his head. "Nope. You?"

Callen gives a light snort at the very thought of being jealous of Marty Deeks. "Not in the least." He replies evenly, turning his eyes back to the plasma screen.

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt you know?" Deeks quips from behind the two elder NCIS Agents.

"Sure." Callen remarks quietly, before turning serious once more. "So, you really think there might be something on this flash drive that could help our case?" he asks next.

"Maybe." Deeks replies, with a short sigh. "Hopefully, though we won't really know for sure until we go through some of it."

"Then I suggest the three of you get to it." Comes the familiar voice of their operations manager from just inside the doorway. "Or do I need to remind you that time is of the essence?"

Callen feels his cell phone vibrating within his front jeans pocket, and as Sam converses with Hetty he quickly fishes out the phone and reads the new text message he has just received. "Actually, it looks like Deeks'll be going solo here."

"And why is that?" Hetty asks.

"Just got a text from the boys downtown." He explains, holding up his cell phone for Hetty to see. "The M.E.'s report is waiting on us."

"Very well then you and Mr. Hanna will go and take care of that, while Mr. Deeks begins sorting through…whatever _that_ is." She says, with a gesture of her hand towards the plasma screen.

"Could someone get a message to Kensi for me." Deeks says, as he runs a hand through his shaggy locks. "Cause this'll take all night."

"Guess you better get started then." Sam quips as he and Callen make for the staircase.

"Yeah."

* * *

An expensive looking black sedan pulls up just outside a beautiful, but upscale, horse stable located somewhere in the valley. The sunlight plays through the trees overhead and creates open blotches in the shade that covers most of the sign hanging up above the main entrance, which reads _Twin Trails Riding Club_. All around the sounds of horses and their riders can be heard quite clearly. All in all it is a very quaint little place.

The doors on either side of the car open, and two people step out from within. Diego emerges from the driver's side of the car, and Kensi emerges from the passenger's side. The latter stands, with a surprised expression painted across her features, staring up at the sign above the door.

"Horses?" she says questioningly, looking across the top of the car at Diego.

"My father owns the land." Diego replies very simply. "Do you not like my surprise?" he asks, noting her shocked appearance. Kensi flashes a very pleased smile back at the tan-skinned man.

"No, I love horses. It's the best surprise ever." As she smiles back at Diego her mind wanders briefly over the memory of a time when Deeks had tried to cheer her up after a hard, weeklong case at OSP. He blindfolded her then and drove her down to the beach, where he bought her ice cream and offered to give her a few lessons in his favorite water sport. She declined the offer of course, but in the end was content just sitting in the sand watching him ride the massive waves rolling inward towards the shore. _That_ was the best surprise ever as far as she's concerned.

Diego chuckles. "Good. Shall we then?" he says, gesturing towards the entrance.

Kensi nods back. "Absolutely." The smile he flashes back at her is broad, but the darkness that still seems to linger in his eyes is unmistakable and sends a chill down her spine. She prays silently that he doesn't notice her uneasiness. She cannot afford to have her cover blown just yet.

The two of them head towards the entrance meeting up about halfway, where their hands lace together as they sidle on through the massive doorway side-by-side. "I just hope you can keep up with me." She teases.

He laughs at the brunette beauty and casts a sideways glance at her. "I guess we shall see, won't we?"

* * *

A young dark haired woman strolls through a set of double doors, with Callen and Sam following close behind, heading in the direction of the morgue. The woman is prattling on about her own work day so far, while Callen skims over the paper copy of the M.E.s report he received at the front desk only moments before hand.

"Sam, look at this." The team leader says, indicating a bit of information within the file folder he's carrying. "Say's here that Sawyer was a lefty."

"The gun he was holding was in his right hand, G." Sam says, alluding to the obvious.

"This confirms our suspicions. The scene was staged, which means whoever did kill him wanted us to _think_ it was suicide." Callen reasons out loud. "And they did a pretty lousy job too."

"Once we get Sawyer's personal effects from the M.E., we should head over to the lab." Sam tells his partner.

"Yeah. I think so too."

* * *

The sound of horses' hooves beating rhythmically against the soft Earth echoes through the surrounding forest area. A beautiful black horse blazes along a clearly marked trail, which twists and winds its way through the thickets of green foliage that line both sides of the riding trail. Coming up close behind is a second brown colored horse—its rider is none other than Kensi Blye.

Diego's horse may have the lead now, but Kensi hasn't given up yet. She leans forward and whispers something into her horses ear, and as if in response the horse neighs loudly. The brunette beauty then gives the horse a soft nudge in the sides, and the horse throws it head forward drastically picking up great amounts of speed almost effortlessly.

"Come on girl, let's see what you've got." Kensi whispers to the horse. The horse lets out a loud neighing sound, and just up ahead Diego glances back over his shoulder only to see his date quickly catching up with him.

Both horses round the next bend almost side-by-side, but then as they emerge into another straightaway Kensi turns and flashes a smile at Diego as she and her horse easily overtake his. "See ya." She grins at the tan-skinned man.

"You think you've won!?" Diego calls after her.

"Sure looks that way!" Kensi calls back, with a laugh.

"Hahaha." He chuckles. "I have not forgotten our wager. That kiss will be mine!" he tells her confidently, as the sound of a riding crop being used sounds through the air. The black horse makes a loud whining sound, but still begins to speed up all the same.

"You're gonna have to work for it!" she calls back over her shoulder.

"Where've I heard that before!" he laughs openly, with another crack of his riding crop.

Kensi hates that. She had opted against using a riding crop, whereas Diego had been all for the instrument. Every time he uses the infernal thing his horse sounds like it is in pain, and this just breaks Kensi's heart.

Besides that, she really doesn't want to kiss Diego again—_ever_. Especially not after last time, but alas she did promise the secret sadistic killer one kiss _if_ he could beat her in a little race. "You're gonna have to work for it!"

The female federal agent is so distracted by her current line of thought, that the advancing Diego goes completely unnoticed.

"Sorry sweetheart." He chuckles as he passes her once more.

_Shit!_ Kensi scolds herself internally for getting distracted so easily. It's too late for her to try and catch up though, their designated 'finish line' is just ahead—he's won already. A minute later she crosses the imaginary line just after Diego, and the two horses trot slowly to a stop near a close-knit grouping of small trees.

"Looks like I win." Diego beams, as he hops down from his horse.

"Don't get too excited. You just got lucky, that's all." Kensi retorts, following suit.

She reaches up a hand and runs it gently across her horses face. The horse seems to lean into her touch as she does this, and Kensi can't help the soft smile that parts her lips. "Good girl." Kensi tells the horse in a soft voice.

Diego approaches her then, and Kensi looks up at him just as he reaches out a hand for her. "I do believe we had a deal, did we not?" he says with a smile.

"Hmm, sounds familiar?" she teases, with a thoughtful expression.

Diego pulls the brunette beauty in close, and lowers his mouth to hers. "You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever met." He whispers against her lips. Were it coming from Deeks, those words might actually mean something to the female federal agent. Hell, she would probably be putty in her boyfriends' hands—Diego, however, not so much. Hearing him say such things leaves her feeling cold inside.

Kensi must protect her cover though, and so to this end she puts everything she has into the kiss, and tries her best to make it feel as real as possible—for him anyway.

…TBC…


	8. Chp 8

**Author's Note: Hi Guys! I am soooo sorry about the delay in updating this story. As I mentioned in a note attached to my latest update to the story 'Unconditional', I was down for several weeks with illness, and during that time did not feel very much like writing/updating. Thankfully, however, I am finally back up to full strength, and to celebrate my recovery I give you this, Chapter 8. Hope you all enjoy, and thanks so much for all of you who have stuck by me thus far. ENJOY!**

* * *

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 8

Two Months Have Passed… Things Have Changed…

Two months in thus far, and there appears to be no end in sight to the Op. At OSP, every other Op and pending investigation has been sidelined indefinitely, as Hetty and her crack team find themselves caught up in a web of deception even more intricately twisted than any they'd ever dared to dream up before. Day by day, slowly and surely, each member of the team is drawn deeper and deeper into a dark and deadly abyss.

Hayes Residence/Safe House – Friday, 9:45 P.M.

The word 'safe' in its most basic utterances generally conjures up images of warmth and solitude, of being far away from the things that cause one to experience such feelings as fear and dread. Here in this place, however, it means very little in the way of comfort. To Marty Deeks it has become, in the last two months, no more than a chamber of unrelenting torment and misery. Now he spends most of his nights here awake, feverishly fighting off the dreaded sleep that hounds him so endlessly, knowing that surrender to its dark clutches will only bring him entrapment within such hellish nightmares that would leave even the best of men frantic with prayers, and begging for those precious first flickers of sunlight and the promise of salvation.

The shaggy-haired Detective is far from lucky this night, as sleep has won out and taken him into its cold grasp. The eerie silence that fills the whole of the house is now broken only by the sounds of tortured cries escaping from within the sweat-drenched figure sprawled haphazardly out on the living room sofa. The only light in the otherwise darkened room comes from the muted television set, and in its pale glow is highlighted Deeks' every jerk and twitch.

This all began, as mentioned before, nearly two months ago with the discovery of a dark secret hidden in Diego Espinoza's already sordid past. The discovery was made by Deeks himself, and quickly became one he often wishes he could forget. The encrypted flash drive that had once been stashed secretly away in Maria's home was found to contain an extensive file on the black-hearted cartel leader, and had been labeled in such a way as to indicate that it was not directly linked to the case she'd been working undercover on for the LAPD. Theirs had been directed towards bringing down the cartel's drug smuggling operation in L.A., whereas Maria seems to have entertained thoughts geared towards vengeance—a fact the shaggy-haired detective is most certain of.

This certainty comes mostly from a haunting message that Maria left behind, he is sure, for him to find. Unbeknownst to the rest of his NCIS colleagues, Deeks also found a mini-recorder stashed away inside the same lock box, in which he'd found the flash drive. The contents of said device were, for the most part, Maria's own personal thoughts and feelings about her life, her career, the assignment she was on, and the startling revelation that led her to volunteer for the undercover Op. The recording chronicles such details to which Deeks is already privy, like how Diego Espinoza and his last girlfriend, Paulina Montenegro, were at one time considered to be celebrities among L.A.'s upper class crowd. It is no secret to those within the law enforcement field that Diego's rapid escalation through the hierarchical ranks of L.A.'s criminal scene was due in great part to the connections he gained through Paulina's family. All of this he knows, however, it is the last 2 or 3 minutes of the rather long-winded recording that sticks out in his mind more than the rest.

"_Marty…I know, should anything happen to me, that you will be the one to find this. You're probably wondering right now, why? The truth is I've been secretly investigating my Mother's murder ever since I joined the force. All I knew for sure, for the longest time, was that my Mother's murder was only one in a series of grisly murders, all bearing the same M.O., that seemed to cross multiple lines of jurisdiction all over the state of California. I don't believe for a second that I'm the first to make the connection, but I suspect the Espinoza family is bankrolling someone on the inside to make sure they remain untouchable in the system. That's why I knew I couldn't count on Bates to help me with this, and I couldn't involve you—I've promised myself over and over, that no matter what happens I will not drag you down with me." _

He should have ended it right there, but he didn't. A part of him, he knows, will always wish that he'd just buried it away without finishing it, at least then maybe he wouldn't feel so burdened by a knowledge he can never share with anyone else—lest it ruin the reputation of someone he cared a great deal for in just the short time in which they'd known each other.

"_Sorry about that. I guess I got a little emotional there for a second, but I'm okay now. Where was I, oh yeah, I remember now. Three days ago, Paulina Montenegro turned up cold on a slab in the morgue, and according to the autopsy report she was killed in the exact same manner as all the other women—including my Mother. It's him, Marty. He did it. I know he did. I just need to see one thing to be absolutely sure. We know that a trophy of some kind, usually jewelry, was taken from each crime scene. From my Mother, this trophy was a silver charm bracelet that my Grandfather gave her when she was 13. This means I need to get close to Diego Espinoza. I managed to convince Lt. Bates that with Paulina gone, Espinoza will surely be in the market for a new girlfriend—and that that's our way in. As of today, he finally signed off on the Op, and I'll be going under effective two days from now. Marty, if it turns out that I am right, about Diego Espinoza I mean, I won't hesitate. I will kill him. God, I wish there was another way, but there just isn't one. He's hurt too many people, us included, and he needs to be stopped—no matter what the cost. I love you Marty. Please forgive me."_

The dream he has is so often the same each time, though he has noted subtle differences at other times—regardless, they all end in very much the same way. No matter what he does in this dream world of his it's never enough. He's either too late, or not quite smart enough, and both of the women he loves are lost to him forever.

The small sofa pillow situated near Deeks' head shifts ever so slightly from its previous position, and then proceeds to fall unhindered to the floor. The absence of the pillow is just enough to startle the shaggy-haired man from his tortured slumber. His eyes flutter open, and as if reacting to some lingering remnants of his dream the half-awake detective quickly moves upright, brandishing the sidearm he'd neglected to remove from the holster at his side.

Her name slides over his lips as he sits wide-eyed, and breathing heavily with his pistol aimed at the glowing light from the muted television set. After a moment or two he finally begins to come around, blinking several times to break up the sleep in his tired blue eyes.

"A dream?" he mutters questioningly to no one in particular. "Was it…It was. It was all a dream. I wasn't too late." He closes his eyes with relief, as the tension flows from his body with the long sigh that sails over his lips. Then the firmly gripped weapon lowers from its position in front of him.

Deeks sets the pistol down on the nearby coffee table, and then checks his wristwatch for the time. He finds that the time is now 9:56 p.m. He realizes as he shakes his head that it is past the time he was supposed to check in with his partner.

* * *

A lavish master bedroom suite sets darkened, save for the little light emanating from several candles lit around the room. The sounds of two lovers caught up in the throws of passion fill the space, the high-pitched tones echoing off the four walls indicating an erotic dance so near its inevitable finale. For one of them it is all very real, but for the other it is merely an act designed to gain her 'targets' trust. Nevertheless, it is still the very last place in the world that Kensi Blye wants to be, and yet here she is. At this point in their 'relationship', the gorgeous brunette practically lives here.

A small voice constantly echoes from somewhere in the back of her mind. It is one she knows well not to ignore, for it is the only thing keeping her from backing out of the Op altogether. It all goes back to a promise she made to herself just two months ago, after the terrible discovery her partner made concerning Maria and her Mother. Two nights afterward she spent awake comforting her restless partner and lover as he grieved anew, and it was then that she made the silent promise to her self to use whatever means necessary to bring Diego Espinoza to justice for his crimes.

The two of them lay in silence side by side for the longest time after their dance finally ends, their breathing quite heavy from said recent activities, and all the while Kensi fights back the sick feeling of nausea that sweeps over her. She silently wills her self to keep it together for the sake of her cover. She knows she'll never get used to how this part of her job feels now that she's in a committed relationship with her partner, Marty Deeks, nor does she particularly want to get used to it. Having to use _sex _as a means of extracting Intel from suspects has always bothered her, but back then in the day it wouldn't have affected her anywhere near as much as it does now. Now, it leaves her feeling dirty and violated both inside and out, and with Diego Kensi feels an unshakeable iciness and loneliness, whereas with Deeks she always feels her every fiber enveloped in a wonderfully, pleasant warmth that lately she so desperately misses.

"_Mi Amor_, you are truly a goddess." Diego says at last, through a great sigh as he turns his head to look at Kensi. She forces a tiny smile across her lips for his benefit.

Kensi musters up every ounce of strength and will power she has, and forces down all the feelings of disgust she has for this man, and puts on her best 'Alexis' face. "You sound winded." She points out playfully. "Am I too much for you, darling?" she asks, arching a brow at the tan-skinned man lying next to her on the satin sheets, which cover his luxurious king-sized bed.

Diego laughs heartily at the question posed by the gorgeous woman beside him. "Oh no, not at all _mi Amor_. I assure you, of this I will never tire."

_Great._ Kensi thinks to her self. _Just…Great._

"Its too bad you have to go away for the weekend. You and your _business trips_." She pouts, as she snakes her hand down between their bodies to entwine her fingers with his. "I'll miss you too much. Can't I come with you?" Even as these words slide over her lips she prays he doesn't read too much into their meaning. The truth is though, she'll be glad to have some time away from the monster lying next to her.

"And I will miss you, _mi Amor_." He whispers softly, as he props him self up on his side. "I wish you could come, but these trips involve matters of business—no place, mind you, for a woman."

Kensi has to push down every ounce of disgust she feels at his sexist words, as the tan-skinned man leans down to kiss her on the lips, which only adds to the hatred she feels right now. It is terrible really, how even just kissing this horrible man makes her feel as though she is betraying the man she really loves.

A loud ping sound grabs the female federal agents' attention then. She indicates to Diego that she needs to get up, and he obliges her after one last kiss between them. Kensi pulls her self up, covering her upper body with the satin bed sheets, and reaches for her cell phone setting on the nearby nightstand.

It's a text message, and the Caller ID reads _Isaac_ across the display—Deeks' cover name. Her heart leaps in her chest as a sudden, wonderful thought occurs to her. She clicks the touch screen with the pad of her thumb, unlocking the next screen, and silently reads off the message from her partner.

_Hiya Princess. Long time, no see. Hope to see you soon though—kiss, kiss. _

"Alexis, who is it?" Diego asks curiously.

Kensi looks back at him, not having to force the smile on her face even in the least bit. "It's Isaac, my brother." She informs him happily. "He wants me to know that he'll be back in town this weekend."

A knowing smile crosses Diego's lips. "Ah, I see. Now I don't feel so bad about leaving you here alone."

"Silly, I won't be alone." She says with a wink. _Actually, I'll be right where I belong._

…_TBC…_

**Author's Note: Again, so so sorry for the delay in updating this story, but I hope the wait was worth it. Next chapter we will get to see what Callen and Sam are up to, and how a discovery they made two months before has also affected the case in a really really big way.**

**Author's Note 2: I probably shouldn't say this yet, but I am so excited about it. While I was down with illness I was thinking about this story, as well as my other stories, and I had an incredible brainstorm in the process. As of right now, I have decided and started planning a sequel to this story, which I will begin posting immediately following this story's final chapter. The sequel is to be titled **_**Sean. **_**Oops, hope I haven't spoiled anything by mentioning this—I am soooo excited about it though.**


	9. Chp 9

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 9

For the past two months Nell Jones has spent much of her time working undercover in the offices of the company that once employed the now deceased Paul Sawyer. After the discovery made in Sawyer's home, by the two senior members of the team, the teams' operations manager deemed her involvement in the aforementioned capacity necessary.

_Two Months Ago…_

_Callen and Sam busily sift through Paul Sawyer's home and effects in search of anything that might supply them with a good, solid lead. So far they've managed to tear the place apart without much luck._

"_Sam, I'm beginning to think this is pointless." Callen calls out to his partner. The senior agent steps back from the single bookcase in the living room, and lets out a tired sigh. There is a brief silence that follows, during which Callen decides to move on to the next room—the master bedroom._

"_I know whatcha mean!" Sam calls back. Sam is in the Study, going through the drawers of the large oak desk set in the center of the room. He finally reaches the bottom, left-hand drawer, and pulls it out. With a grim look, he turns the drawer upside down and dumps its contents out onto the desktop, and upon first glance finds it to be full of copies of old business invoices, check stubs, and other such items._

"_For someone who keeps everything…there's not much here." The ex-Navy Seal mutters to himself. He turns to set the empty drawer down on the chair behind him, but as he moves to do so a soft rattling sound is heard coming from within._

"_What the-" Sam murmurs, as he pulls the drawer back carefully for closer examination. He flips and rotates the drawer over in his ands and listens as the rattling continues with each movement. "G!" Sam calls for his partner, as he sets the drawer down tall-ways against the desktop, and begins to tap his knuckles along its length. _

_Callen enters the room a minute or so later, and stands just in the doorway watching his partner curiously. "You called?" Sam lifts his head momentarily, and gives his partner a nod._

"_Yeah, I think I may have something." _

"_A desk drawer?"_

_Sam shakes his head. "No, not the drawer—what's inside the drawer." His watches the slightly confused look that crosses Callen's face, and decides that he should probably elaborate. "It's hollow." He adds, tapping his knuckles against a small section of the underside of the drawer._

"_False bottom?" Callen muses questioningly. "Means he was hiding something. Something he didn't want anyone else to see."_

"_Probably." Sam replies, as he reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a pocketknife. Within seconds the ex-Navy Seal manages to gain entry to the drawers secret compartment, and inside he finds a small, digital recording device along with a single, unlabeled CD-ROM. He stows his pocketknife away, and lifts out the two objects for his partner to see._

"_Let me see that." Callen says, holding out his hand upon seeing the recording device. Sam tosses it through the air, and Callen catches it with ease._

"_We'll have Eric look at this." Sam says, holding up the CD-ROM. "Find out if there's anything useful on it." Callen only nods in agreement._

_The senior agent studies the device carefully, and begins pressing buttons curiously. "This is a pretty fancy recorder." He says, arching a brow. "There seems to be a whole catalog of entries stored on it…here, listen to this. It's the last entry he made, and its dated just two days before he was killed." Callen informs his partner, as he presses the 'play' button._

"_**Today, I spoke with the subject, Carlos Montoya, despite Ms. Messer's insistence that the discrepancies in inventory are no more than a simple clerical error. I don't believe her. In fact, she's next on my list of suspects. As for Mr. Montoya, my investigation into the missing components has lead me to believe that he is somehow involved, although admittedly I have no actual evidence to support this theory other than the fact that this all began shortly after I hired him onto our staff at the recommendation of a friend.**_

_**When I questioned the subject on the aforementioned matter I received little cooperation from him. He denied having any knowledge regarding the discrepancies and the missing components, and that little piece of information he gave up most reluctantly. He did, however, ask why I was so interested. I gave nothing away, and simply alluded to a looming inspection by the company's Board of Directors. I don't think he suspects my true motives though, and if he does then perhaps I might be able to use it to my advantage.**_

_**Still, I cannot risk involving local law enforcement—not yet. I know what they're doing with the components, but with the company's reputation at risk I must proceed with absolute caution."**_

_The entry ends there, and Callen subsequently lifts his eyes to his partner. The two men share a look of understanding in regards to what they've just heard from the recorder. "You thinking, what I'm thinking?"_

"_Yeah. We've been looking at this all wrong. Sawyer wasn't involved…he just stuck his nose too far in where it didn't belong." Sam replies._

"_It sounds to me like both Sawyer and NewTech were being used, and Sawyer found out. That's probably what got him killed." Callen states, as his mind begins to race with thousands of different possibilities. _

"_Whatever's really going on between Espinoza and NewTech, G, I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg." Sam points out grimly._

"_I agree. We need to get this stuff back to Eric and Nell. See what they can find." Sam just nods in agreement with his partner. _

* * *

_Ops Centre, OSP – Several Hours Later…_

"_Okay, so there's nothing in Sawyer's recordings about what the components are actually being used for—so no help there. He does, however, mention Leslie Messer and Carlos Montoya numerous times." Nell explains to Hetty and the two senior agents waiting patiently behind her._

"_We need to bring those two in for questioning." Sam states plainly._

"_Agreed." Hetty replies._

"_The CD-ROM you guys found in the drawer with the recorder does give us a detailed description of the components that went missing from NewTech." Eric chimes in, swiveling his own chair around to view the others._

"_And?" Callen asks, slightly irritated by the fact that he is having to ask for more. Eric looks between the two men and Hetty, and it is then that they all notice the worried expression he holds about his face._

"_Eric, what?" Callen demands in a firm tone, sensing bad news on the way._

"_The components listed on the CD-ROM can all be combined to make one, big bomb." Eric informs them, his voice a little shaky as he speaks. _

"_Damn." Callen swears under his breath. Beside him, his partner is shaking his head in disbelief._

"_That, Mr. Callen, would be an understatement I'm sure." Hetty remarks from off to one side. _

"_How big, Eric?" Sam asks then._

"_Like, you know…__**Big**__." Eric replies, motioning in the air with his hands._

* * *

Nell strolls into the Ops Centre at OSP looking as though she's just been through the longest day of her entire life. Her uniform hangs loose on her small frame, and her usually neat and tidy hair is thrown a bit askew. She shuffles in about as far as the center of the room, and there she stops just before reaching the tiny operations manager who has been patiently awaiting her arrival for just under an hour at this point.

"Ms. Jones?" the older woman greets the younger tech analyst with a nod. She watches as Nell pauses a moment and sets her messenger bag down on the floor at her feet.

"Hetty." Nell returns the simple greeting, as a tired sigh escapes from within her.

"You look exhausted, my dear." Hetty notes openly. "Are you sleeping at all?" the tiny woman asks curiously, a tinge of genuine concern lacing her voice as she speaks.

"Not much, Hetty. I can't, or at least I don't _feel _like I can." Nell replies, wiping a hand across her brow. "Not yet, anyway."

Hetty nods understandingly. "Sit-Rep, Ms. Jones?" The tiny woman then watches as Nell stoops over to search through her bag, and then a minute or so later finds her self staring down at an unlabeled CD-ROM held within the tech analysts' hands. "And this is?"

"Everything." Nell replies. "It wasn't easy to get either. I had to dodge both Messer and Montoya all day long. I think they're beginning to suspect who I am."

"Let us pray then, that that is not the case." Hetty replies. Nell nods in agreement with her tiny boss.

"I dug through the most recent inventory logs, and found an unmarked shipment scheduled for departure tomorrow morning. Since we already know that the bomb they're building is missing only one component, and this could very well be it—this may be just the opportunity we need to find out where its being held." Nell explains.

"I see." Hetty replies, appearing to mull over the new information in silence. "Ms. Jones, perhaps it would be in our best interest to have Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna look into tomorrow's shipment."

"I'll call them in." Nell replies, once again picking up her bag from off of the floor.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Yeah, I know this was a relatively short chapter, but the next chapter jumps right back into the main story with DENSI, and starting with a reunion between the two lovers. So trust me, please, and just hang in there. This chapter just needed to be, because it helps to show where things are headed at this point in the story. But I promise you guys won't be disappointed. Thanks again, all you guys, for your continued love and support. It is greatly appreciated :)  
**

**P.S. As a way of showing that I mean every word I just said, I am going to leave you guys with just a little glimpse of what's to come in the next chapter….Enjoy :)**

**Excerpt From:**

**Chapter 10 –**

The master bathroom at the safe house is filled with the sounds of desperation and unbridled, wanton desire. Deeks kicks his blue jeans across the floor away from their feet, his top half already long-exposed, as his own hands clumsily strip Kensi of her top. He then pauses in his doings, and watches the gorgeous brunette as she hops down off the bathroom counter and quickly discards the mini-skirt she'd been wearing as part of her cover. She then makes quick work of her bra, and this leaves her dressed in nothing but a pair of black, lacy panties.

There are so many things that need to be said between them, but neither of them wants to address that darkness that awaits them there. Instead they both seek to escape from the pain and fear that has plagued their dreams for so many a-night over the past two months. For the moment, finding solace in each other is all that matters.

Kensi pulls back from Deeks' latest onslaught of fiercely, passionate kisses, desperately in need of oxygen, and rests her forehead against his. What started out as a gentle warmth pooling low in her belly, has now evolved into a raging, nearly out-of-control fire seeking to be quenched in the only way that it can be.

"Deeks," she finally manages breathlessly, her voice heavy and thick with emotion as she speaks. Her hands snake their way down to his Scooby Doo boxers where she can feel the hardness of his erection pushing out against the throbbing heat of her own sex. "Now…Please." She pleads, tugging the material of his boxers down and away from his hips.

Deeks nods in agreement. "Now." He replies, finishing the job she's started with his boxers. With good hands it takes only a second to get Kensi free from her panties as well, and then as his lips seize hers once more, he pushes her back towards the counter.

...Tune In For More, Next Time...


	10. Chp 10 A Moment's Reprieve (M-Rated)

**Author's Note: Sooo sorry for the delay in getting this update posted. Please forgive me! That said, I have a feeling that this chapter will hopefully make up for the rather long wait as it is pure **_**Densi**_** fluff—something I think we, and the characters of the story, desperately need right now. I won't give anything away, but let me just say that I think the word 'Wow' will be mentioned a few times by many of you guys upon reading this little bit of juicy goodness. As always, my loyal readers, enjoy the read! Oh, and let me know what you think too, please…..**

**In Darkness, Light**

**Chapter 10 (A Moment's Reprieve, Pt. 1)**

**Saturday Morning, 10:30 a.m. – Safe House**

It seems like ages since they last saw each other, and now as she stands just outside the front door of the safe house, spending another minute without the man she loves seems too unbearable to even consider. Shaking with excitement and nervousness she stretches upwards on her tiptoes, and runs her hand over the space above the door frame until the cold metal of the spare key finally greets her fingertips. She grasps the key firmly between her fingers and then brings it down to insert it into the first keyhole, but then a sound from inside stops her.

There is a brief scrambling sound just inside, and then the front door opens and there he is staring back out at her. Their eyes meet, her sexy mismatched ones locking onto his gorgeous Pacific blues, and almost instantly heat begins to build between them like a bed of smoldering embers slowly being coaxed back into a roaring fire. No words are spoken by either of them, and yet there is a silent understanding that passes between them and it takes only a fraction of a second to happen. Kensi pushes her way into the house suddenly, snagging her lover by his wrist as she goes. The door falls shut behind them as they move quickly across the room making their way to someplace a little more private.

There are so many things that need to be said between them, but neither of them wants to address the darkness that awaits them there. Instead they both seek to escape from the pain and fear that has plagued their dreams for so many nights over the past two months, and for the moment finding solace in each other is all that matters.

* * *

They only make as far as the master bathroom before their progress becomes otherwise halted. Now sounds of desperation and desire fill the space, as the two lovers claw and nip at each other with such hunger as never before experienced by either of them. Deeks shrugs quickly out of his t-shirt and lets it drop to the floor, as Kensi slides out of her sandals and then peels away her own top layer. Then their lips meet once more in a deep, passion filled kiss that only serves to further fuel the already raging fires burning within their bodies.

Unwilling and unable to break herself away from Deeks' latest onslaught of fiercely, passionate kisses, Kensi lets her hands fall to her waist where she struggles to undo the tight denim jeans she's wearing. After a second or so she finally manages to unfasten the button snap and the zipper, and she's fairly certain that she's actually broken the button off with her hasty, shaky movements. As she wiggles her hips, loosening the pants so that they'll fall freely down her legs, her every thought is focused on only one thing—having Deeks inside of her where he belongs. She stops her own doings when she feels Deeks' hands move around behind her back loosening and then removing her bra. A needy breath escapes his lips as he tosses the aforementioned piece of clothing to the side, and then with a unique gentleness he cups her supple breasts in his palms as he brings his face down closer and closer to them until the feel of his breath against her bare skin makes her shudder all over.

"Deeks…Mmhmm, oh yes." she moans when she feels his lips close over her nipples, moving from right to left, and suckling gently on each before finally pulling back a bit to stare up into the mismatched eyes watching him as he works. It's truly amazing the way she feels right now, and it's almost even more amazing how this one guy, _her _guy, can make her this way.

"So beautiful." He murmurs, as he leans in and presses his lips to hers once again.

"Deeks…" she pants, breathlessly, between insanely intense kisses. "I want…n-need…You…inside me, Deeks…please." She pleads breathlessly as her hands wander downwards once more but this time seeking his jeans instead. He beats her to it though, and the sound of his belt striking the hard floor below elicits a whimper of anticipation from her.

He steps out of his jeans and boxers, and afterwards kicks both articles of clothing across the floor. Then Kensi follows suit and quickly disposes of her own bottoms before moving back into her lover's embrace. Both are completely naked now, and Kensi can barely keep her eyes off the wonderful sight of his throbbing erection greeting her as she gazes over the familiar muscular physique displayed before her. She swallows a hard lump as she raises her eyes up to his once more, pleading even more intensely than before to at last feel their bodies joined in that most special way designed as the ultimate expression of love between two people.

Deeks moves towards her, pushing her backwards against the bathroom's marble counter top, as his lips join with hers in another fierce onslaught of passion-filled kisses. His hands glide downwards over her soft curves, and finally come to rest around her hips, as he presses into her making her whimper with need once more.

The feel of his throbbing hardness pressing up against her own steamy wetness makes her cry out his name in desperation, and as she reaches back with one hand to steady herself against the bathroom counter she feels something soft and fabric-like. Glancing back over her shoulder she finds a towel, folded in half and spread out over the area of the counter directly behind her, and she realizes that he must have put it there earlier so that she would be comfortable.

The realization makes her eyes water and her chest swell with unspoken emotions as she raises her eyes back up to his with a look of wonder displayed within their mismatched depths. Even in the heat of the most primal of acts Deeks still puts her needs above his own, and that knowledge makes her heart melt with love.

"I'm ready." She whispers against her lover's lips.

She feels his hands gripping her hips firmly, as he lifts her up and sets her down against the counter top. There she holds herself up on her hands as he gently eases himself inside burying himself deep within her tender, wet folds. "Ohh…Uugghh." A shudder ripples through her as he fills her so perfectly, and she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist inviting him in ever deeper. She then bites down on her lower lip as she waits for her body to adjust to his size.

"Its been too long, princess…You feel so good." He whispers as he lovingly nuzzles his nose against hers. Kensi lifts her lips and presses a tender kiss against his as he continues to speak. "Love you soo much." His voice is heavy and thick with emotion now.

Kensi presses one last kiss to his lips. "Show me." She says in a quiet, insistent manner.

Deeks re-angles his body as to allow for maximum penetration and then begins moving within her, slowly at first, but then gradually quickening the pace until the wildly erotic sounds of flesh slapping against flesh dominate all others in the small space. Her fingernails dig into the soft flesh of his back and shoulders as she moans and whimpers against the intense sensations of pleasure created by the friction being generated between their two bodies. All the while the coil deep within her core slowly twists and tightens, as she grows nearer and nearer to her inevitable finish.

"Marty, I-" her words are cut short as the tightly wound coil within her suddenly explodes, and her release overwhelms her. She throws her head back, crying out his name, as wave after wave of sheer ecstasy washes over her, and explosions of pure light cloud her vision forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut while she rides out the shockwaves of her climax.

Feeling her muscles convulsing around him is enough to finally send Deeks tumbling over the edge too, spilling himself into her, and groaning out her name as he buries his face in her chest. It takes every ounce of strength left in him to keep the two of them propped upright as his release threatens to shatter his very foundations.

"Marty." She whispers finally, after their bodies have had time to come down and their vitals begin to return to normal. Her heart swells with an abundance of love for the shaggy-haired man, and it makes her realize just how much she needs him in her life and how important it is that he knows it too.

Deeks lifts his head to look into her eyes, a little bit surprised that she would call him by his first name. She's never done that before, hell, no one has to be honest; but somehow hearing her say it out loud now feels _right_. There's something new in her eyes, he notices, as if something in her has changed in just the last little while. What he sees there is brilliant, warm and inviting, and he feels as if he's suddenly able to see right through into her heart. "You called me…Marty." He states, his words barely forming as he struggles to clear the fog from his brain.

"That's your name isn't it?" she replies, still looking into his eyes with a sort of loving warmth that stretches from ear to ear. It feels good to finally use his first name instead of always calling him by his last name. In a way it really signifies just how much her heart has opened up, and how much trust she's put in him.

"Well, yeah. I suppose it is." He replies, giving her his usual lopsided grin. He leans forward and presses a kiss to her luscious lips before pulling back slightly to look at her once more.

"Have I ever told you…just how much I love you?" She says sweetly, as she returns his kiss with a tender kiss of her own.

A smile graces the lips of the shaggy-haired man as he stares lovingly back at his girl, and a lone tear slides down over his cheek as his emotions well up within him. To actually hear her voicing how she feels about him is unreal to be honest, and it makes him feel really really good inside. After all, he's never really heard those words from anyone else in his life. Now, however, his heart thunders in his chest with an unfathomable love for the beautiful woman who currently has herself wrapped around his own body, and he wants nothing more than to hold onto her there forever and never let her go.

"Oh, but Fern…I love you more." He replies in a quiet voice, grinning against her lips as he steals yet another kiss.

"Doubt it." Kensi giggles and the sound is so uncharacteristic of the female federal agent he first fell head over heels in love with that he can't help the small fit of laughter that suddenly erupts from within him.

* * *

It's nearly two o'clock in the afternoon as Kensi sidles into the kitchen, freshly showered, and wearing nothing but her panties and one of Deeks' t-shirts. The two have gone several rounds together since her arrival earlier in the morning, and they're only stopping now because their stomachs, empty and deprived, have begun to protest.

Deeks should be getting out of the shower any time now, and she's hoping to surprise him with some food. A smile graces her lips as she removes a large non-stick skillet from the cabinet underneath the counter, and sets it on top of the front, right eye on the stove.

_Won't he be surprised when he sees __**me**__ cooking?_ She thinks to herself as she turns on the eye to begin heating the pan.

Kensi then moves to the refrigerator from which she quickly produces a carton of eggs, a fresh pack of bacon, and the bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice. Its just too bad there's not a box of donuts lying around, as that would definitely be like the frosting on the cake as far as she's concerned.

Deeks enters the kitchen some time later dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms, and pulling a fresh t-shirt over his head as he walks. The mouthwatering aromas wafting about the room instantly fill his nose then, and he stops momentarily to take in a huge whiff of what smells like breakfast and freshly brewed coffee. He quietly savors the delicious smells with eyes closed, as his tongue wanders hungrily over his lips.

"Oh God, that smells so good." He says, practically drooling over how good the kitchen smells. He opens his eyes finally, and sees Kensi standing at the stove shuffling eggs from the pan onto two nearby plates. A smile crosses his lips at the scene displayed before him, and as she apparently hasn't noticed his entrance he decides to sneak up behind her.

Kensi smiles real big as she feels a pair of familiar hands cupping her firm buttocks from behind. "You must have a thing for my ass." She quips, as she lays several more strips of bacon across the wide skillet in front of her.

"Why do you say that?" he asks, as if he has no clue what she means.

"No reason." She replies, with a grin she knows he can't see. "Except you can't seem to keep your hands off of it." She adds smartly. She can feel him as he shrugs his shoulders behind her.

He then gives her buttocks a light squeeze, and listens as Kensi murmurs his name quietly in response. She closes her eyes, biting down on her lower lip, and leans back into him savoring the feel of his touch.

"You have such a nice ass, Fern. I can't help it if I like how it feels." He whispers softly in her ear. "You should try it sometime." He adds, letting his lips slide gently over the patch of skin next to her ear.

A small shudder runs through her at the feel of his lips, and once again she can't help the tiny giggle that escapes her own lips. "Turn around sometime, and I just might take you up on that offer." She replies.

"That so?"

She nods in answer, and then begins to pull away from the shaggy-haired man.

"What? What'd I do?" he asks, worried he's done something wrong.

"Nothing." She replies as she turns her attention back to the sizzling sound of bacon nearing complete doneness in the skillet before her. "I'm trying to cook, and I can't focus properly with you back there playing with my stuff." She tells him, her tone light and playful as she speaks.

Deeks begins to move away slightly, bringing himself slowly into her line of sight. "But I love your stuff." He protests, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at his gorgeous girl.

"Clearly." She deadpans, before shooing him away with a gesture of her spatula-wielding hand. "Now go sit down." She tells him, pointing towards the breakfast table setting in the space between the kitchen and the living room. "Breakfast'll be ready in a bit."

"Fine." He mock pouts as he shuffles away. "But just so you know—breakfast? Really? Kensi it's after two o'clock. We should've had lunch by now." He remarks, turning around to face her as he backs slowly out of the kitchen. "Although, I guess the more disturbing thing here is that _you_ are cooking, and oddly enough I'm okay with that."

"I've been practicing." She tells him with a smile.

"I'll say." He replies, with that trademark lopsided grin that he knows she loves so much. "It smells wonderful." He adds, with a wink.

"Just wait." She replies, as she begins to slip a few more pieces of yummy bacon into the hot skillet. "It _tastes_ even better."

"Oh I don't doubt it, princess." He replies, just before he nearly trips over backwards over his own two feet.

Kensi chuckles to herself as she watches him straighten up, and continue towards the breakfast table. All of the darkness of the past two months seems just a little bit farther away now, and she wishes like hell that it would just go away completely. However, the knowledge that come Monday they'll both have to part ways once more still lingers in the back of her mind. So she plans to spend every minute of this one weekend with the one best thing in her life, besides her Mom that is, and hopefully make some wonderful memories that she knows she'll need if she is to survive even one more night with that monster—Diego Espinoza.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Enjoy the show? Hahahaha, I hope this was worth the wait, and again I apologize for making you guys wait so long for it. As I mentioned in my updates for **_**Unconditional **_**and **_**Tinman**_** I have just recently accepted a promotion at work, so things have been a little more hectic than usual. However, fret not my loyal readers, as I have a plan that I think, or hope actually, will allow me to update more regularly even with the dramatic shift in my work schedule. As always, be sure to tune in for more excitement as it unfolds. Oh, and thanks again, as always, for all of the love and support this story has received since its initial creation. Love you all! **


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